Publication: India : Note on Financial Accountability Systems of Selected State Level Power Sector Entities
Loading...
Published
2006-06
ISSN
Date
2014-08-19
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
This study on financial accountability systems of selected state level power sector entities for India examines and highlights systemic issues of accounting, financial reporting, auditing, disclosure practices as well as capacity and policy gaps in state power sector entities. Sustainable recommendations have been developed to remove roadblocks and strengthen financial management, reporting and disclosure practices. Review and analysis of public material, financial statements, surveys and discussions with stakeholders have been used to understand operational practices and to report on the level of subsidies and return on investment. Finally, the study focuses on consensus building with stakeholders on key issues and solutions. The purpose of the recommendations is to advise the Bank and stakeholders, feeding into the Country Assistance Strategy (CAS), on the quality of corporate governance, reporting and management answerability for public investment ' in the power sector.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2006. India : Note on Financial Accountability Systems of Selected State Level Power Sector Entities. © http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19444 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Digital Object Identifier
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Suriname : Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes - Accounting and Auditing(Washington, DC, 2012-05-31)This report provides an assessment of the corporate sector accounting, financial reporting, and auditing practices in Suriname, with the aim of assisting the Government of Suriname's efforts to strengthen private sector accounting and auditing practices and enhance financial transparency in the corporate sector, so as to support the Government's objective of private sector-led growth and deepened integration with the international economy. This ROSC A&A aims to support the government's objectives of improving the investment climate and fostering private sector growth, in particular through: (a) designing a solid legal and regulatory framework governing the accounting and audit profession in Suriname, (b) improving the technical skills of accounting and audit practitioners, and (c) enhancing the institutional capacity of the country's accounting professional body and educational institutions. The ROSC A&A focuses on the institutional framework regulating accounting and auditing practices, and the comparability of national accounting and auditing practices with international standards and best practice, using International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and International Standards on Auditing (ISA) as benchmarks. It evaluates the effectiveness of enforcement mechanisms for ensuring compliance with applicable standards and codes.Publication Jordan : Country Financial Accountability Assessment(Washington, DC, 2001-10-10)This Country Financial Accountability Assessment (CFAA) for Jordan is a diagnosis of the country's public and private financial accountability framework, financial management systems and practices. The main objective is to: a) assess whether the existing accountability, as designed and practiced, is sufficient to ensure effective and efficient use of public funds; and b) support the country in the design and implementation of financial management capacity building programs in order to promote transparency and strengthen investor confidence in the management of public and private funds. This CFAA is being undertaken as part of the government program for public sector reform. It is based on discussions with Jordanians government officials, private sector representatives and the desk review of related studies and papers undertaken by the government and the Bank regarding: public sector management; private sector accounting and auditing; and education and training in financial management, and accounting. A key element of the CFAA's recommendation targets the auditing profession, which is called upon to ensure that the profession contribute effectively to enhancing private and foreign investment environment through the promotion of sound, internationally accepted disclosure practices.Publication Governance of Indian State Power Utilities : An Ongoing Journey(Washington, DC: World Bank Group, 2014-09-25)By the late 1990s, the technical and financial performance of the power sector in India had deteriorated to the point where the Government of India had to step in to bail out the state utilities, almost all of which were vertically integrated state electricity boards (SEBs). Considering that the dismal performance of state utilities reflected internal and external shortfalls in governance, the new Electricity Act of 2003 (EA 2003) mandated the unbundling and corporatization of the SEBs, along with the establishment of independent regulators. This was expected to bring about a more accountable and commercial performance culture, with concomitant results in improved utility performance. The rest of this review is organized as follows. Chapter two summarizes the institutional context and relevant developments over the past two decades. Chapter three focuses on the corporate governance agenda adopted by the government and its implementation, specifically relating to the structure and functioning of utility boards of directors. Chapter four reviews SERC regulatory governance. Chapter five analyzes the correlation between key indicators of the quality of regulatory and corporate governance and utility financial performance. And chapter six concludes.Publication Republic of Liberia : Accounting and Auditing(Washington, DC, 2011-02-14)This report provides an assessment of the corporate sector accounting, financial reporting, and auditing practices in Liberia. The assessment undertaken is positioned within the broader context of the country s institutional framework and capacity needed to enhance the quality of corporate financial reporting that is a key contributor to improving investor confidence and ultimately economic growth. Efforts are necessary for strengthening the capacity of the regulators and developing accounting and auditing standards in Liberia.Publication Pakistan : Public Sector Accounting and Auditing, A Comparison to International Standards(Washington, DC, 2007-05)This assessment of public sector accounting and auditing is generally meant to help implement more effective public financial management (PFM) through better quality accounting and public audit processes in Pakistan and to provide greater stimulus for more cost-effective outcomes of government spending. More specific objectives are (a) to provide the country's accounting and audit authorities and other interested stakeholders with a common, strongly-founded, knowledge as to where local practices stand against the internationally developed norms of financial reporting and auditing; (b) to assess the prevailing variances; (c) to chart paths for improving the accordance with international standards; and (d) to provide a continuing basis for measuring improvements.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Fundamentals of Financial Statements Audit(Washington, DC, 2011-05)The purpose of an audit is to enhance the degree of confidence of intended users in the financial statements. The objective of an audit of financial statements is to enable an auditor to express an opinion as to whether the financial statements are prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards or another identified financial reporting framework. The auditor's opinion is expressed in by using the phrase 'give a true and fair view' or 'present fairly, in all material respects'. The auditor and the client's management have separate and distinct responsibilities. The auditor is responsible for forming and expressing an opinion on the financial statements. The client's management, on the other hand, bears responsibility for preparing and presenting the financial statements. Management's responsibilities are not relieved by the fact that the statements are audited. An auditor must comply with general principles of an audit. These require an auditor to: 1) comply with the 'Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants' issued by the IFAC (or a national Code of Ethics, where appropriate); 2) conduct an audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) (where applicable); and 3) plan and perform the audit with an attitude of professional skepticism, recognizing that circumstances may exist that cause the financial statements to be materially misstated.Publication Regional Poverty and Inequality Update: Latin America and the Caribbean, October 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-10-23)This brief summarizes recent facts related to poverty and inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) using the latest wave of harmonized household surveys from the Socio-Economic Database for LAC (SEDLAC). This brief was produced by the Poverty Global Practice in the LAC Region of the World Bank.Publication Thailand Monthly Economic Monitor, October 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-10-22)Fiscal conditions remained stable, with a modest widening of the deficit to 3.1 percent of GDP. New stimulus measures are expected to support short-term demand without breaching the public debt ceiling. Inflation stayed negative, reflecting lower energy and food prices amid subdued domestic demand. The central bank kept the policy rate unchanged, citing limited policy space. Thailand’s growth momentum has slowed further as manufacturing activity and services weakened as projected. Tourism remained subdued, largely due to fewer Chinese visitors. Goods exports also slowed as earlier front-loaded orders faded, particularly in agriculture and industrial goods. The Thai baht depreciated in early October as the US dollar appreciated and the current account turned negative.Publication Ukraine Country Environmental Analysis(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-01)The objective of the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) is to assess the adequacy and performance of the policy, legal, and institutional framework for environmental management in Ukraine, in light of the decentralization process of environmental governance and wider reform objectives, and to provide recommendations to government to address the key gaps identified. Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe and has a population of 43 million, the majority of whom live in urban areas. It is a lower middle income country, with the services, industry and agriculture sectors being main contributors to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Ukraine faces a number of environmental challenges, as identified in its National Environmental Strategy 2020 (NES). Key among these are: air pollution; quality of water resources and land degradation; solid waste management; biodiversity loss; human health issues associated with environmental risk factors; in addition to climate change. The scope of Ukrainian environmental legislation is quite broad and comprehensive (more than 300 legal acts) and covers most areas of environmental protection and natural resources management. However, the environmental legislation faces a number of weaknesses:The environmental legislation is largely declaratory in nature and does not have all the essential enforcement mechanisms for the implementation of legal acts and international agreements; Many of the acts are not coordinated with each other; and Legislation undergoes limited analysis of its impact—for example, no in-depth analysis such as Regulatory Impact Analysis is conducted for proposed pieces of legislation.Publication Digital Africa(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-03-13)All African countries need better and more jobs for their growing populations. "Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs" shows that broader use of productivity-enhancing, digital technologies by enterprises and households is imperative to generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. At the same time, it can support not only countries’ short-term objective of postpandemic economic recovery but also their vision of economic transformation with more inclusive growth. These outcomes are not automatic, however. Mobile internet availability has increased throughout the continent in recent years, but Africa’s uptake gap is the highest in the world. Areas with at least 3G mobile internet service now cover 84 percent of Africa’s population, but only 22 percent uses such services. And the average African business lags in the use of smartphones and computers as well as more sophisticated digital technologies that catalyze further productivity gains. Two issues explain the usage gap: affordability of these new technologies and willingness to use them. For the 40 percent of Africans below the extreme poverty line, mobile data plans alone would cost one-third of their incomes—in addition to the price of access devices, apps, and electricity. Data plans for small- and medium-size businesses are also more expensive than in other regions. Moreover, shortcomings in the quality of internet services—and in the supply of attractive, skills-appropriate apps that promote entrepreneurship and raise earnings—dampen people’s willingness to use them. For those countries already using these technologies, the development payoffs are significant. New empirical studies for this report add to the rapidly growing evidence that mobile internet availability directly raises enterprise productivity, increases jobs, and reduces poverty throughout Africa. To realize these and other benefits more widely, Africa’s countries must implement complementary and mutually reinforcing policies to strengthen both consumers’ ability to pay and willingness to use digital technologies. These interventions must prioritize productive use to generate large numbers of inclusive jobs in a region poised to benefit from a massive, youthful workforce—one projected to become the world’s largest by the end of this century.