Indian Accounting Standards

INDIAN ACCOUNTING STANDARDS -
A PERSPECTIVE
The paradigm shift in the economic environment in India during last few years has led to
increasing attention being devoted to accounting standards as a means towards ensuring potent
and transparent financial reporting by corporate. Further, cross-border raising of huge amount
of capital has also generated considerable interest in the generally accepted accounting
principles in advanced countries such as USA. Initiatives taken by International Organisation
Securities Commission (IOSCO) towards propagating International Accounting Standards
(IASs)/ International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs), issued by the International
Accounting Standards Board (IASB), as the uniform language of business to protect the
interests of international investors have brought into focus the IASs/ IFRSs.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, being a premier accounting body in the country,
took upon itself the leadership role by establishing Accounting Standards Board, more than
twenty five years ago, to fall in line with the international and national expectations. Today,
accounting standards in India have come a long way. Presented hereinafter are some salient
features of the accounting standard-setting endeavours in India.
Rationale of Accounting Standards
Accounting Standards are formulated with a view to harmonise different accounting policies and
practices in use in a country. The objective of Accounting Standards is, therefore, to reduce the
accounting alternatives in the preparation of financial statements within the bounds of rationality,
thereby ensuring comparability of financial statements of different enterprises with a view to
provide meaningful information to various users of financial statements to enable them to make
informed economic decisions.
The Companies Act, 1956, as well as many other statutes in India require that the financial
statements of an enterprise should give a true and... [continues]

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