Bengaluru: Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda thanked the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for appointing Girish Chandra Murmu as the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. 

In a tweet he put out, he expressed delight over a tribal being made the CAG. He also said his appointment has enhanced the value of the tribal community. 

 

Murmu was made the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of the Articles 370 and 35A. He had succeeded Governor Satya Pal Malik. 

Murmu had previously served as principal secretary to the then CM of Gujarat Narendra Modi and belongs to the Gujarat Cadre of the Indian Administrative Services. During his service in Gujarat, he held key administrative operations in the state and was the Secretary in the department of expenditure at the Ministry of Finance in the second Modi government, adds Republic TV. 

Murmu, a 1985-batch IAS officer, had abruptly submitted his resignation on Wednesday -- the day the union territory marked the first anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

 

Former union minister and senior BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh Manoj Sinha was appointed in his place.

Sinha was administered the oath of office by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Justice Gita Mittal at Raj Bhavan. The 61-year-old told reporters that August 5 is an important day in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.

The CAG is appointed for a term of six years or till the incumbent attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.

As a constitutional functionary, the CAG is primarily entrusted with the responsibility of auditing the accounts of the central and state governments.

CAG reports are laid before Parliament and legislatures of the states.