The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has introduced E-Diary, an online system enabling articled trainees to log attendance and the work they carry out during practical training.

Use of the platform is mandatory for chartered accountant (CA) students who begin their practical training from this month.

The system is intended for both students and members, with the aim of standardising record-keeping, improving visibility of training activity and supporting digital oversight of articled training.

The initiative has been taken forward by the ICAI Board of Studies (Operation) along with the members and Student Services Directorate.

Entries are maintained in a structured digital format. Trainees enter daily attendance, and a description of the tasks performed, which are captured in the system at the time of entry.

Stipend information, once paid, will also be recorded and shown on the platform.

Task details are submitted on a fortnightly cycle. Principals will review submissions and may propose amendments to the recorded tasks.

Students can access E-Diary using their self-service portal login. They can view earlier records, revise entries based on principal feedback, and edit or remove entries prior to submission, as well as monitor whether submissions have been approved.

The platform connects with Form 109 where termination applies and is intended to keep records aligned with ICAI training requirements.

It is expected to support articled assistants with consistent training documentation, self-tracking and skill mapping, and to support professional development.

ICAI president Charanjot Singh Nanda said: “The E-Diary will be a digitally approved and authenticated record of an articled trainee’s practical experience. It enables students to clearly demonstrate the tasks performed during training and the areas in which they have developed expertise.

“This digital platform will not only save valuable man-hours for both principals and students but also brings greater transparency, timely approvals and helps identify new and emerging areas of training, making articled training more structured, efficient and future-ready.”