Role of management accountant In outcome budget.

Management Accountant-an accountant of the future for Governance-Both Corporate world and the Government.
Indian government recently announced outcome budget as a measure of good governance.While welcoming it i would like to state that Management accountants have a greater role to play in the governance of the country .I am confident the institute will properly take up the issue and request the government to augment the recruitment of ICAS cadre in each department of the ministry and state governments and local bodies.
Management accountant have the cutting edge in the budgeting mechanism as it is a primary tool of Cost and management accounting.
Finance minister in his speech stated that the government budgets are not reflection of performance and in his words:

"I must caution that outlays do not necessarily mean outcomes. The people of the country are concerned with the outcomes."


Converting outlays into outcomes is a complex process, which differs from Ministry to Ministry and programme to programme. Some of
the important steps in this conversion process are as follows:-
· Outcomes to be specifically defined in measurable and monitorable terms; intermediate outputs should also be defined wherever
required.
· Standardising unit cost of delivery.
· Benchmarking the standards/quality of outcomes and services.
· Capacity building for requisite efficiency at all levels, in terms of equipment, technology, knowledge and skills.
· Ensuring flow of right amount of money at the right time to the right level, with neither delay nor "parking" of funds.
· Effective monitoring and evaluation systems.
· Involvement of the community/target groups/recipients of the service , with easy access and feedback systems.
Efficient conversion of outlays into outcomes would, therefore, require making the delivery systems effective with appropriate structures
and processes, strengthening financial management systems, increasing use of information technology, and meaningful involvement of all the
Ministries, Para -statals, State Govern ments, Local Bodies, Panchayat Raj Institutions, Self Help Groups etc., in critical decision making and
implementation processes.
This only means his intention has been to employ Cost and management accounting techniques to obtain better results of the efficiency of governance.CMAs are possessing necessary skills in this area and the government should recognise this potential and deploy them all areas of governance.