GC Murmu breaks the glass ceiling, first tribal to take charge as CAG

Former Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Girish Chandra Murmu took oath as the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) on Saturday. The oath was administered by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others. Murmu stepped down as the Jammu and Kashmir’s L-G on Wednesday and was appointed the CAG on Thursday.

“By virtue of the power vested in him by clause 1 of article 148 of the Constitution of India, the President has been pleased to appoint Shri Girish Chandra Murmu to be the Comptroller and Auditor General of India with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office,” the finance ministry notification signed by joint secretary Rajiv Kumar Mishra read.

As the CAG, Murmu will be responsible for auditing all expenditures of the state and central governments and will hold the post for six years or till he turns 65 whichever comes first.

A 1985 IAS officer who quit the service weeks before his retirement last year, Murmu hails from Odisha’s Betnoti town in tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district. When he took charge as the first L-G of Jammu and Kashmir on 31 October 2019, his town and village had celebrated the achievement.

“A tribal boy got such a major opportunity to serve the people. Shall I not be happy?” his mother Parbati Murmu had said, according to a 2019 report by News18.

Former Union minister Manoj Sinha was sworn in as the new Jammu and Kashmir L-G on Friday, becoming the first political leader to take charge of the union territory.