Conference of Financial Advisers

Conference of Financial Advisers was held on 20th August 2026 at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi. Member (Finance), Railway Board represented the Ministry of Railways at the Conference.

The Conference, inter alia, deliberated upon several key issues concerning the functioning of Integrated Finance Divisions (IFDs), including timely disposal of files, qualitative improvement in financial examination, awareness and effective implementation of the FA Charter, and strengthening of training and capacity building of officers.

It was emphasized that files should ordinarily be disposed of within the stipulated timeline of five working days, while ensuring that expeditious disposal does not come at the cost of the quality of financial examination. Greater emphasis was placed on providing focused, value-added and outcome-oriented financial advice, rather than merely processing proposals from a procedural perspective.

The importance of wider awareness and effective implementation of the FA Charter was also highlighted so that the roles and responsibilities of the Administrative Departments and IFDs are clearly understood and the process of examination is streamlined.

The Conference further emphasized the need for regular training and capacity building of Financial Advisers and their officers, particularly in emerging areas of public finance, procurement, technology and regulatory frameworks.

Focus was also placed on leveraging technology and strengthening the use of managerial and analytical inputs from Financial Systems to enhance the quality and value of financial advice. It was emphasized that Financial Advisers should increasingly leverage available financial data, digital tools, dashboards and analytical capabilities to provide timely, evidence-based and forward-looking advice, moving beyond conventional file-based examination.

It was also emphasized that inputs from IFDs on amendments/revisions to the General Financial Rules (GFR) should be provided based on practical experience and implementation issues encountered in the field. Such feedback would facilitate identification of provisions requiring clarification, modification or simplification and contribute towards making the GFR framework more responsive to the requirements of Government functioning.

The discussions at the Conference are relevant for strengthening the functioning of the Finance vertical Ministry of Railways and may be kept in view while further improving the systems and processes for financial examination and advice.