In December 2002, RTI Kolkata was designated as Centre of Excellence for training on ‘Local Bodies Audit’ by the Comptroller & Auditor General of India. In April 2011 and in August 2012, this Institute was designated as Centre of Excellence for development of capacity and skill and assimilation and dissemination of auditing methodologies in the areas of ‘Railway Audit’, ‘Local Bodies Audit’ and ‘Compliance Audit’ respectively. The topic named ‘Local Bodies Audit’ was revised to ‘Rural Local Bodies Audit’ since May 2020.

The Comptroller & Auditor General of India, in December 2003, designated the RTI, Kolkata as a Centre for Excellence in training in the areas of accounting and auditing in Local bodies. As a Nodal Centre, Regional Training Institute, Kolkata had in the past prepared Structured Training Modules on ‘Audit of Gram Panchayat’ and ‘Audit of Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Parishad’, ‘Audit of Urban Local Bodies’ and ‘Certification Audit of ULBs’. This was a collaborative exercise involving the Local Bodies Wing of the Headquarters office, the Accountant General (Receipt, Works and Local Bodies Audit), West Bengal, the Department of Panchayats and Rural Development, Government of West Bengal, the State Institute of Panchayats and Rural Development, Government of West Bengal, the Commissioner & ex-officio, Principal Secretary, Finance (Internal Audit), Government of West Bengal, Directorate of Local Bodies, Government of West Bengal, Institute of Local Government and Urban Studies (ILGUS), State Urban Development Agency (SUDA) and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) like Mazdoor Kishan Shakti Sangathan, Rajasthan and Parivartan, New Delhi. The training modules on ‘Audit of Gram Panchayats’ and ‘Audit of Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Parishad’ were also translated into vernacular Bengali and nearly 3825 copies were distributed to the user Audit offices, Department of Panchayats and Rural Development, Directorate of Local Bodies and State Institute of Panchayats and Rural Development, West Bengal.

As a part of endeavours under Knowledge Centre on Local Bodies Audit, this Institute has taken up a project with the Institute of Cost Accountants of India, Kolkata Chapter as partner to develop benchmarking tools for PRIs. A study report on benchmarking tools has been developed on the basis of different financial as well as non-financial ratios of PRI area. Eminent experts from different spheres, having rich experience in concerned field, Department of Panchayats & Rural Development, Government of West Bengal, Institute of Social Science, Kolkata Wing and Rural Extension Centre, Viswa-Bharati University are associated with this project. The project was completed and Headquarters’ had directed incorporation of Benchmarking tools in Audit of PRIs.

Regional Training Institute, Kolkata has also circulated relevant reading materials on local governance including proceedings of Seminars/Workshops held by it in digital form.

This Institute focuses on knowledge, in the designated field of specialization which include both sector specific knowledge and auditing methodologies and takes initiative to develop/modify the courseware to disseminate the same to the field offices under its jurisdiction.