ICWAI
 

Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India is the only professional body specialized in the field of Cost and Management Accountancy in India. The Institute was first formed as a limited company in 1944 under the provisions of the then Companies Act 1913.

Our Ideals are -

  • Developing Cost and Management Accountancy profession
  • Developing the body of members and properly equip them for functions
  • To ensure sound professional ethics
  • To keep abreast of new developments

It was during the early years of World War II, that the concept of cost as an independent entity made its beginning in the industrial circles of the World. Due to prohibitive cost of defence operations, the then governments at war found it difficult to ascertain the price of defence purchases and thus evolved the concept of cost plus contracts. This necessitated the contractors to submit the estimates of cost for the works being undertaken by them, for the award of the contracts.

With the end of the War in the year 1945, the nations ravaged by the effects of war, began large scale reconstruction of their economies, by according priority to industrialization. This process was further hastened by the end of colonialism resulting in many nations across the world gaining Independence. The decade of the late forties and fifties can be really called as the golden era of industrialization. With this, the importance of cost accounting in fixation of prices, formulation of government policies gave the necessary impetus for the growth of the profession.

What began as the mere exercise in estimating the cost, later developed as a movement for efficiency, optimum utilization of scarce resources. The central Government accorded statutory recognition to the Institute with the Parliament passing the cost and works Accountants at 1959 (23 of 1959).

In an unprecedented action anywhere in the world, the central government in the year 1964, amended the companies Act 1956 by introducing statuary maintenance of cost accounting record in select core industries and audit of the same by qualified cost and management accountants. In the year 1982, by realizing the importance of the profession in the economic development, the central government created an all-India cadre known as Indian cost Accounts Service, at par with class I services of the central government to advise the government on various fiscal matters. During the year 1994, the Institute celebrated the Golden Jubilee year of the formation.