By Sitaram Mewati | Mumbai
India has hosted a two-week advanced training programme for 30 officials from the National Audit Office (NAO) of Sri Lanka, reinforcing bilateral cooperation in digital governance and public sector auditing.
Conducted at the International Centre for Information Systems and Audit (iCISA), Noida, from June 22 to July 3, 2026, the programme was designed to enhance participants’ expertise in Information Technology (IT) Audit and equip them with modern tools for auditing increasingly digital public sector systems.
The training covered Information Systems (IS) Audit, IT governance frameworks, cybersecurity, data privacy, protection of information assets, and the use of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology for detecting irregularities in contracts. Participants also received practical exposure to India’s public procurement ecosystem, Government e-Marketplace (GeM) audits, procurement audits in the Railways and Defence sectors, and the use of data analytics and emerging technologies in public auditing.
Established in 2002, iCISA is recognised by the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) Working Group on IT Audit as a Global Training Facility and has trained audit professionals from more than 150 countries.
The programme marked the second specialised training initiative for Sri Lankan NAO officials. The inaugural edition, held in December 2025, trained 35 officials.
The initiative was organised under the enhanced capacity-building framework announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his State Visit to Sri Lanka in April 2025. Under the framework, India offers 1,000 customised training opportunities annually for Sri Lankan professionals and civil servants, in addition to existing programmes such as the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) scheme.
The programme underscores the growing India–Sri Lanka partnership in institutional capacity building and reflects both countries’ commitment to strengthening transparency, digital governance and modern public auditing.
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