Accounting standards are rules and guidance for accounting that ensure uniformity in terminology, approach, and financial statement presentation. They are issued in India by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to standardize accounting policies, increase financial statement reliability, reduce variation in treatment, and facilitate comparison. There are currently 31 accounting standards covering topics like revenue recognition, cash flow statements, taxes, investments, and more. The objectives of accounting standards are to standardize diverse accounting policies, add reliability to financial statements, and eradicate confusing variations in treatment to allow for easier inter-firm and intra-firm comparison.