Form of Accounts of the Union and of the States
Official heading: “Form of accounts of the Union and of the States”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part V, Article 150, printed page 69
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1. In One Sentence
Article 150 mandates that the accounts of the Union and of the States shall be kept in such form as the President may, on the advice of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India, prescribe.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Article 150 ensures nationwide accounting uniformity across India's federal structure.
It requires that the accounts of the Union and of the States shall be kept in such form as the President may, on the advice of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India, prescribe.
Constitutional Evolution: Originally, the article stated that accounts shall be kept in such form as the CAG may 'with the approval of the President prescribe'. The 42nd Amendment (1976) altered this to presidential prescription 'after consultation with' the CAG.
The 44th Amendment (1978) restored judicial balance by substituting the word 'advice' for 'consultation'.
As a result, the President acts on the expert constitutional advice of the CAG, ensuring that accounting standards, balance sheets, and classification heads remain uniform, transparent, and comparable across the central government and all state governments.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
A State Government wishes to adopt an unconventional accounting method that conceals public debt off-budget under private corporate liabilities.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 150 guarantees national accounting standards across all federal tiers of government.
- Unified accounting format for both the Union and all State Governments.
- President prescribes form strictly on the advice of the CAG.
- Guarantees financial comparability, transparency, and fiscal integrity.
- Amended by the 44th Amendment (1978) to elevate CAG consultation to binding advice.
5. Operative Constitutional Text
6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations
Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.
- •Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part V, Article 150, printed page 69 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.