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A little irony: Don’t hype to hit headlines, Jaitley advises CAG
-The Indian Express

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said the government has learnt a valuable lesson on allotment of natural resources like coal and spectrum, but cautioned the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India against "sensationalising" its reports and creating an environment of "finger pointing".

Addressing an annual conference of the CAG, Jaitley said the auditor "doesn't have to sensationalise... he doesn't have to get into the headlines."

Noting that the concept of fairness in the allocation of natural resources has been introduced, he said, "The auditor also has to realise that he has a natural advantage that he is not using discretion in making a decision but is reviewing a decision that has already been taken... He has to be an active auditor but activism and restraint must be two sides of the same coin."

Significantly, the previous UPA government had expressed concern about the CAG's reports that had estimated huge notional losses in the allocation of 2G spectrum and coal blocks. Under former CAG Vinod Rai, the country's supreme auditor had pegged the notional loss in the 2G spectrum allocation at Rs 1.76 lakh crore and in coal blocks allotment at Rs 1.84 lakh crore.

Jaitley stressed that instead of "sensationalising a report" and creating an environment of "finger pointing", the auditor should scrutinise the decision-making process and have the ability to distinguish a wrong decision and a corrupt decision.

Maintaining that audit is required for good governance as it promotes accountability and transparency, Jaitley, however, said the CAG should leave guidelines for the future but not lead to a system of "finger-pointing" as it becomes very difficult to work then.

"The system has to continue to function. The CAG was earlier the Defence Secretary and he will realise that people are scared of taking a decision because it may be reviewed in future... there is a tendency to pass the buck in files," said Jaitley.

Referring to the 2G spectrum and coal block allocation, Jaitley said the country has paid a very "heavy price" as contracts were cancelled and the power sector is in crisis. "Both in the spectrum and coal case, we have learnt that natural resources and their allocation is not the prerogative of the state. Valuable resources can't be allotted to whoever the state wants without value being realised... we have learnt that the hard way, giving a setback to the economy," he said.

Reacting to Jaitley's remarks, AICC general secretary Ajay Maken said, "Look who is talking. These were the people who welcomed the CAG's press conferences and reports to hit out at the UPA government and the Congress... During the UPA government's tenure, the CAG released its reports at press conferences... The BJP used these reports to hit out at the UPA government, even before they were tabled in Parliament," he said.

He said during his farewell address to the Gujarat Assembly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also said the CAG should not be used as a political weapon to target opponents. "The BJP was doing that all along when they were in the opposition," he said.