Checked 29 September 2026. From the revised syllabus of 12.07.2024, the Constitution and the Regulations on Audit and Accounts 2020 as gazetted on 25.08.2020. The article ranges and chapter list change only if Exam Wing revises the syllabus; none had been notified by 29 September 2026.
Sections I and II of the Finance & Government Accounts paper carry 40 of its 100 marks between them. Section I is thirteen articles of the Constitution on how money moves through Parliament and the State legislatures. Section II is five chapters of the CAG's Regulations on Audit and Accounts 2020, the rulebook for the whole Indian Audit and Accounts Department. Both are short, precise texts, the kind an MCQ can test word by word. This guide sets out exactly what each section names, pairs every Union article with its State mirror, and maps the regulations chapter by chapter. ProSyllabus is an independent study site, not part of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the Indian Audit and Accounts Department or the Controller General of Accounts. Every rule here is quoted or summarised from Exam Wing and field-office circulars and from the documents the syllabus names; the competent authority in your office decides every individual case.
Where other pages get this wrong
The Constitution section of this paper is Arts 110-117 and 203-207 only. Articles 148-151 (the CAG), Part XII (Finance) and the borrowing articles are not in it.
Commonly published instead: The older MSO syllabus, which listed Part V Chapter 5 (the CAG), Part VI Chapter 3 and Part XII Chapters 1 and 2; and the Sr. Auditor paper, which names Arts 110-119, 264-290A and 292-293.
The revised syllabus of 12.07.2024 lists the thirteen articles by number and title. Notes written for the old paper, or for the audit-office paper set at the same hour, cover far more than this section needs and miss nothing it needs only by luck.
Revised syllabus (12.07.2024); Regulations on Audit and Accounts 2020 (official). The 32 is our count from the regulation numbers.
Section I: the thirteen articles
The syllabus lists eight Union articles (110 to 117, in Part V Chapter II, Parliament) and five State articles (203 to 207, in Part VI Chapter III, the State Legislature). The State articles are near copies of the Union ones for the State legislature. The syllabus takes the State mirrors of 113 to 117 but not of 110 to 112: the State versions of the Money Bill definition (Art 199), assent to Bills (Art 200) and the annual financial statement (Art 202) are not named.
| Union article (named) | Subject | State mirror | State article in the syllabus? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art 110 | Definition of "Money Bills" | Art 199 | Not named in the syllabus |
| Art 111 | Assent to Bills | Art 200 | Not named in the syllabus |
| Art 112 | Annual financial statement | Art 202 | Not named in the syllabus |
| Art 113 | Procedure in Parliament with respect to estimates | Art 203 | Named: Procedure in Legislature with respect to estimates |
| Art 114 | Appropriation Bills | Art 204 | Named: Appropriation Bills |
| Art 115 | Supplementary, additional or excess grants | Art 205 | Named: Supplementary, additional or excess grants |
| Art 116 | Votes on account, votes of credit and exceptional grants | Art 206 | Named: Votes on account, votes of credit and exceptional grants |
| Art 117 | Special provisions as to financial Bills | Art 207 | Named: Special provisions as to financial Bills |
That pattern is useful. Where both versions are named, a question can ask about either and the answer is usually the same idea with "Parliament" swapped for "the Legislature of the State", "the House of the People" for "the Legislative Assembly", and "the Consolidated Fund of India" for "the Consolidated Fund of the State". Learn the Union text first, then read the State article only for what differs. Where only the Union article is named (110, 111, 112), learn it for Parliament alone.
What each named Union article does (summary)
- Art 110 defines a Money Bill by its subject matter (taxes, borrowing, the Consolidated and Contingency Funds, appropriation, charged expenditure, and matters incidental to them) makes the Speaker's decision on whether a Bill is a Money Bill final (clause 3), and requires the Speaker's signed certificate on every Money Bill sent to the Rajya Sabha and presented for assent (clause 4).
- Art 111 sets out assent to Bills: the President assents, withholds assent, or returns a Bill other than a Money Bill for reconsideration.
- Art 112 requires the annual financial statement (the Budget) to be laid before both Houses, showing charged and other expenditure separately and distinguishing revenue account expenditure.
- Art 113 says charged expenditure is not submitted to the vote, though it may be discussed; other expenditure goes to the Lok Sabha as demands for grants; no demand without the President's recommendation.
- Art 114 requires an Appropriation Bill for withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund, and bars amendments that change charged amounts or the amount or destination of a grant.
- Arts 115 to 117 deal with supplementary, additional and excess grants; votes on account, votes of credit and exceptional grants; and special rules for financial Bills that are not Money Bills.
Our summary of the Constitution text (official). Read the articles themselves; an MCQ can turn on one word.
Section II: which parts of the Regulations are in the paper
The Regulations on Audit and Accounts 2020 were made by the CAG under section 23 of the Comptroller and Auditor General's (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act 1971, notified on 20.08.2020 and published in the Gazette on 25.08.2020. The book has 15 chapters and 173 regulations. The syllabus names five chapters, and they are the five that frame everything else: the definitions, the CAG's mandate, IT audit, government accounting, and how the Regulations relate to other orders.
| Chapter | Regulations | What is in it | In the syllabus? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Preliminary | 1-2 | Short title, application and commencement; 41 definitions, from Accountant General (A&E) to statutory auditor (standing orders is 40) | Yes |
| 2 Mandate and Scope | 3-15 | Mandate; objectives of audit; types of audit; audit framework; scope and extent; authority; role of the Executive; management committees; advice; external experts; special audit and its reporting; general regulations | Yes |
| 3 Audit in IT Environment | 16-18 | Auditing in an IT environment; audit of IT systems; IT-assisted audits | Yes |
| 4 to 13 | 19-159 | Access, audit of expenditure and receipts, financial, compliance and performance audit, companies, bodies, local bodies, standards, planning and reporting, follow-up, evidence | No |
| 14 General Principles of Government Accounting | 160-166 | CAG's duties and powers on accounts; the Constitution and the Act on accounts; general principles; form of accounts; CAG's role in accounting; timeliness, correctness and completeness | Yes |
| 15 Special Provisions | 167-173 | Authority of AG exercised by other officers; international assignments; power to issue orders; inter-relationship of orders; removal of doubt; power to modify or relax; continuance of existing orders | Yes |
Counts from the regulation numbers in RAA 2020 (official text, our count). 32 regulations in all, against 173 in the book.
Chapter 2: the regulations most worth knowing cold
| Reg | Heading | Point to remember |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Mandate of the CAG | The mandate flows from the Constitution and the DPC Act |
| 4 | Broad objectives of audit | Assurance on legality, validity, regularity, propriety, economy, efficiency and effectiveness |
| 5 | Types of audit | Financial, compliance and performance audit, and combined audits |
| 7 | Scope and extent | Under section 23 of the Act; section 24 allows detailed audit to be dispensed with |
| 8 | Authority of the CAG | Powers in connection with audit under section 18 of the Act |
| 9 | Role and powers of the Executive | The Executive has no powers of direction in relation to the CAG's audit mandate and its execution; it may propose matters for audit, and the CAG decides |
| 10 | Management committees | Auditors should not ordinarily join committees that take executive decisions; any exception needs prior approval of the Deputy CAG in charge of Personnel |
| 13-14 | Special audit | Requests come with the approval of the Secretary, a justification and the period; results are reported |
Regulation 4's seven words (legality, validity, regularity, propriety, economy, efficiency, effectiveness) and regulation 5's three main types of audit (financial, compliance, performance, plus audits combining them) are exactly the kind of list an MCQ turns into "which of these is not". Regulation 9 is the one that surprises people: the Executive has no powers of direction over the CAG's audit mandate or its execution, although it can propose matters for audit.
Chapters 3, 14 and 15 in brief
Chapter 3: Audit in IT environment (regs 16-18)
- Separates audit of IT systems from IT-assisted audits (financial, compliance or performance audits that use IT tools).
- Regulation 17(2)(ii) lists information criteria: effectiveness, efficiency, confidentiality, integrity, non-repudiability, availability, compliance and reliability. Regulation 17(2)(iv) divides controls into general controls and application controls.
- Regulation 16(4): where an entity's system is an end-to-end automated solution without significant offline or manual documentation or approvals, and its integrity and non-repudiability controls are adequate and effective, a significant proportion of the audit may be done off-site, except for outputs and outcomes and the substantive checks Audit decides are needed. This chapter overlaps Section III (IT Theory) and the Standing Order of 06.08.2020.
Chapter 14: General principles of government accounting (regs 160-166)
- Ties the accounts to Articles 149 and 150 of the Constitution and to sections 10 to 12 and 23 of the DPC Act.
- Regulation 163 treats the Government Accounting Rules 1990 as the general principles; regulation 164 deals with the form of accounts, including a common format for autonomous bodies.
- GASAB, chaired by the Deputy CAG, recommends standards, which are notified under Article 150; this is where IGAS in Section V come from. Regulation 166 is timeliness, correctness and completeness.
Chapter 15: Special provisions (regs 167-173)
- Regulation 170 sets the hierarchy: the Regulations first, then standing orders and guidelines, then practice notes.
- Regulation 171: where a doubt arises, the CAG's decision is final. Regulation 172 lets the CAG modify or relax. Regulation 173 keeps existing orders alive until replaced.
Summaries from RAA 2020 (official), in our words.
Match a Union article to its State mirror
Union and State article finder
Pick a Union article. The finder shows its State mirror and whether the syllabus names the State article too.
Article numbers and headings from the Constitution; the syllabus list from the revised syllabus of 12.07.2024 (official). Same data as the table above.
Tick off Sections I and II
Sections I and II tracker
Articles and chapters from the revised syllabus.
0 of 13 done
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Which articles of the Constitution are in the Sr. Accountant incentive exam?
Articles 110 to 117 and 203 to 207, as listed in the revised syllabus of 12.07.2024: Money Bills, assent, the annual financial statement, estimates, Appropriation Bills, supplementary grants, votes on account and financial Bills, with the State versions of the last five.
Are Articles 148 to 151 on the CAG in the syllabus?
Not as articles of Section I: they were in the older MSO syllabus but the revised one does not name them. Chapter 14 of the Regulations, which is in Section II, does restate Articles 149 and 150 in regulations 160 and 161, so learn them there.
Which chapters of the Regulations on Audit and Accounts 2020 are in the paper?
Chapters 1, 2, 3, 14 and 15, which are regulations 1-18, 160-166 and 167-173.
When were the Regulations on Audit and Accounts 2020 notified?
By CAG notification F. No. 11-PPG/2020 dated 20.08.2020, published in the Gazette on 25.08.2020, under section 23 of the DPC Act 1971.
What are the objectives of audit under regulation 4?
Assurance on legality, validity, regularity, propriety, economy, efficiency and effectiveness.
Is Article 199 in the syllabus?
No. Only the Union article 110 on Money Bills is named; the State mirrors named are 203 to 207.
Sources
- official — Revised Syllabus of "Incentive Examination for Senior Accountants", Paper: Finance & Government Accounts (standalone copy on the CAG Syllabus and Books page, PDF of 15.07.2024)
- official — Exam Wing Circular No. 02 of 2024, No. 237/03-Exam/Syllabus Revision/2024 (12.07.2024): revised syllabus of the DE for Accountants and the IE for Sr. Accountants of A&E offices, applicable from the date of issue
- official — Constitution of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice)
- official — Regulations on Audit and Accounts (Amendments) 2020, the CAG book (15 chapters, 173 regulations)
- official — Gazette of India Extraordinary, Part III Sec 4, No. 343 (25.08.2020): CAG notification F. No. 11-PPG/2020 of 20.08.2020 making the Regulations on Audit and Accounts 2020 under section 23 of the DPC Act
- official — CAG Standing Order "Auditing in an Information Technology (IT) Environment", No. 94/17-PPG/2019 (06.08.2020): replaces Chapter 22 of MSO (Audit) 2002 and the IT Audit Manual of 2006
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
