NEW DELHI: The government did not table its Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports in the state assembly for four years in a row until this July, “violating” its constitutionally-mandated responsibility, official sources close to Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Vinai K Saxena’s office said on Thursday.
According to the officials, it took four letters from the L-G Secretariat for the government to table the 10 reports panning over four years finally in the monsoon session of the Delhi Assembly on July 5 this year.
The CAG reports of the year 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, detailing ‘State Finances Audit Report’, ‘Revenue Economic, Social & General Sectors and PSUs’, ‘Social General & Economic Sectors’, ‘Finance Accounts of GNCTD’ and ‘Appropriation Accounts of GNCTD’, were pending with Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia, since as long as when they were submitted by CAG, said officials.
“It is pertinent to note that the finance department in pursuance of LG Secretariat letter dated March 10, 2022, put up the files to Sisodia, clearly mentioning pendency in this regard since 2017-18 to 2021-22 on March 11, 2022. However, Sisodia cleared them only on June 30, 2022, after which the CM approved it on July 1, 2022 and sent to the L-G for recommending that the reports be laid in the Delhi Assembly,” said a senior official.
There was no immediate reaction from the Delhi government over the issue.
The sources said that as per the Constitution, the CAG submits its report to the state government, who after approval of the finance minister and the chief minister, sends the same to the L-G for a recommendation for presenting it in the Assembly.
They claimed that till June 30, there was no progress on the issue.
The chief minister approved these reports on July 1 and sent them to the L-G for a recommendation that the reports be laid in the Delhi Assembly.
The L-G accorded his approval on July 2, and subsequently, the reports were tabled on July 5, the sources added.
(With PTI Inputs)