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CAG-ICSSR Research Article Competition Details

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)

CAREERSCHOLARSHIPEDUCATIONEDUCATIONAL

9/27/20262 min read

CAG-ICSSR Research Article Competition 2026

CAG-ICSSR Research Article Competition Details

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) have entered into a collaboration to organize the CAG-ICSSR Research Article Competition across 28 states and 3 union territories of Bharat.

On the 58th Foundation Day of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), 12th May 2026, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan Hon’ble Union Minister for Education launched CAG-ICSSR Research Article Competition on audit reports published by the Office of CAG of India as a special initiative for UG/PG and Doctoral Students.

The Purpose of this Competition is to engage Young Minds in Interpreting Complex audit findings, fiscal records, and governance data, and also to encourage them to contribute in the Vision Viksit Bharat 2047 by translating technical audit material into accessible, analytical, and visually engaging research outputs.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, the Supreme Audit Institution of India, has been providing evidence-based CAG audit reports that ensure transparency, accountability, and good governance. The Office of CAG of India, in a first of its kind of initiative, prepared a decadal publication of State Finances from the financial year 2013-14 to 2022-23. The publication provides fiscal data of all the 28 states and 3 UTs with respect to numerous fiscal parameters relating to revenues, expenditure, public debt and liabilities, deficit indicators and guarantees. This initiative significantly strengthened the democratisation of public finance data, enabling policymakers, researchers, analysts, and citizens to engage with reliable fiscal information with greater ease and transparency.

Objective

The key objective of this collaboration is to foster the critical and research skills of students in Colleges and Universities in the country in the field of public finance and fiscal governance. The collaboration aims to generate informed awareness among UG/PG and doctoral students about the interpretation of data, research training, and capacity building to foster social science research skills among the young researchers. This is a year-long collaborative programme aimed at enhancing public understanding of audit findings, fiscal governance, and accountability

Eligibility

Open to full-time bona fide Students enrolled in recognised Undergraduate, Postgraduate or Doctoral Programmes, subject to the detailed eligibility requirements notified for the Competition.

National Level Submission

01 August 2026 – 30 September 2026

60-day submission window

Applicant Categories - UG/PG & Doctoral

Individual entries only

Themes

The themes for the competition will be:

1. Fiscal Federalism and Governance

2. Social Sector Spending

3. Skilling, Employment and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)

4. Empowering Urban and Rural Local Bodies

Extension of Last Date for Submission for State level to September 30, 2026

Awards / Prize

The total prize money for this competition is Approximately ₹1 crore, which is being sponsored by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.

₹1.25 lakh / ₹1.00 lakh / ₹75k Per category, subject to eligible entries

State Awards will be conferred by the respective PAG/AG for each state in their offices, and the National Awards will be given on the Audit Diwas, 16th November 2026, at the CAG Headquarters, New Delhi.

Public Awareness Materials:

Public Awareness Material – 1

Public Awareness Material – 2

Public Awareness Material – 3

Link For The Registration : https://app.icssr.org/

https://icssr.org/applications-cag-icssr-research-article-competition

https://cag.gov.in/en/page-cag-icssr

https://icssr.org/sites/default/files/2026-06/Step_by_Step_Guide_for_Registration_and_Submission_of_Research_Article.pdf

https://cag.gov.in/ae/uttarakhand/en/page-ae-uttarakhand-cag-icssr

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Link of Audit Reports for CAG–ICSSR Research Article Competition (National Level)

Guidelines