The 301st Council meet of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), which functions under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, started today at Puri, Orissa.

The meeting was inaugurated by the Governor of Orissa, Shri Murlidhar C. Bhandare. The Central Council Members of the Institute, including President, ICAI, Shri Amarjit Chopra, Vice President, Shri G.Ramaswamy and Secretary, Shri T.Karthikeyan, were present during the meeting. The Central Council is the highest policy making body of the CA profession in India and manages the affairs of the Institute.

Besides 32 elected members, there are 8 Government nominees from different Ministries and bodies on the Council of the Institute.

Shri Amarjit Chopra, President, ICAI while addressing the meet gave an account of the glorious history and the services rendered by the Institute.

He said, The ICAI has been in constant dialogue with various ministries in Central and State Governments, providing policy inputs and suggesting innovative ways to strengthen public expenditure management. He said his Institute would also like to extend its services to the Government of Orissa.

In the inaugural address, the Governor of Orissa, while appreciating the significant contribution made by the CA profession to the growth of Indian economy in the area of liberalization and globalization added that the Institute can help the Government in designing a suitable mechanism for monitoring the use of the funds made available for public expenditure.

He added, The role of the accounting profession is critical in lending credibility to financial markets by providing quality information which facilitates market discipline and fosters confidence of various stakeholders.