KOLKATA: After a gap of four years since 2022, the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India unveiling financial audits in different departments of the Government of West Bengal were tabled in the state Legislative Assembly on Saturday.
State Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta placed 28 CAG reports in the Assembly and said that, due to some unknown reasons, the previous government had not made the CAG reports public in the House for the past few years.
“A special session will be held in the Assembly in the coming days for discussions on the CAG reports,” Dasgupta said.
The BJP government in West Bengal, led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, has already decided to lodge FIRs against those leaders and ministers, including former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, if they are found involved in irregularities following the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India’s audit report on the alleged Amphan cyclone relief scam during the previous Trinamool Congress regime in the state.
On July 22, while addressing the post-budget discussion session in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, the Chief Minister said his government would lodge FIRs against those found involved in the Amphan relief scam based on the CAG report.
“No one will be spared even if he or she is a minister, a chief minister or a big political leader. I will recommend the Hon’ble Governor directly for lodging FIRs against those persons who are involved in the scam as per the CAG report,” Suvendu announced in the House.
“Our government is very clear and transparent in this matter. The CAG report will be tabled in the House on July 25 and detailed discussions in connection with the issue will also be held in the next session. Decisive decisions will also be taken following recommendations made during the discussions,” he said.
On Saturday, the office of the Principal Accountant General (PAG) in Bengal, during a press conference, published the audit reports for the financial years 2020–21 to 2024–25, following the tabling of the reports in the state Assembly.
PAG (Audit-I) Bibhu Dutta Basantia, PAG (Audit-II) Manish Kumar, and PAG (Accounts & Entitlement) Anindya Das Gupta, along with other senior officials, presented an analytical view of the financial audits of different departments, including panchayats, education, power and environment, during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in the state.
The report comprises three chapters covering the Overview of State Finances, Budgetary Management and Financial Reporting Practices.
Presenting the findings, the audit authorities stated that West Bengal's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) grew by 9.91 per cent during 2024–25. The GSDP increased from Rs 7.97 lakh crore in 2015–16 to Rs 18.15 lakh crore in 2024–25, registering a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.57 per cent over the decade.
The report noted that the state recorded a Revenue Deficit of Rs 39,727 crore, equivalent to 2.19 per cent of GSDP, during 2024–25. The Fiscal Deficit stood at Rs 61,924 crore, accounting for 3.41 per cent of GSDP, which remained within the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act target of 3.50 per cent.
However, the report observed that the state's total outstanding liabilities reached 38.66 per cent of GSDP, marginally exceeding the FRBM benchmark of 38 per cent.