Cag Report

CAG report highlights manpower shortage across Maha's health institutions

The shortage of manpower at every level of healthcare institutions under the Maharashtra Health Department and over overburdening of infrastructure are the main concerns flagged by the CAG in its audit report. The Comptroller and Auditor General noted that providing adequate and quality healthcare services to a large population requires a robust healthcare infrastructure and services. This performance audit report for 2023-2024 was tabled in the legislative assembly on Saturday. The shortage of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff was 22 per cent, 35 per cent and 29 per cent, respectively in primary and secondary healthcare under the state Health Department. The shortage of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff was 23 per cent, 19 per cent and 16 per cent respectively in primary and secondary healthcare for women hospitals. The shortage is 42 per cent in the cadre of the specialist doctors. The CAG stated that the overall shortage of doctors, nurses, and paramedics in the Health

Govt needs to properly monitor export promotion scheme EPCG: CAG report

The commerce ministry needs to properly monitor the scheme to promote exports, EPCG, as it not only allows duty-free imports of capital goods but also grants a long gestation period for meeting the export obligation, according to a CAG audit report. The scheme allows import of capital goods for pre-production, production, and post-production at nil customs duty but subject to meeting export obligations. The report also said the import of capital goods from ports other than the registered port without adhering to the prescribed procedure involves the risk of importing the goods from multiple ports using the same authorisation that have revenue implications and has the risk of misuse of the bonds. The customs and regional authorities should monitor such cases scrupulously and invoke penal action for non-compliance, CAG said in a statement. It has presented the performance audit report on the scheme in Parliament. "The scheme not only allows duty-free imports of capital goods but als

Delhi govt submitted pending CAG reports 'just' in time: LG office

Delhi government has forwarded all 14 pending reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General to the LG for his approval to table them in the assembly after more than one and half years of delay, Raj Niwas said on Saturday. The Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta has already asked the AAP government to call a special session of the assembly, which will be completing its five years tenure in February next year, for the tabling of the CAG reports. Gupta in a petition filed in the high court earlier, sought directions to the government to lay 14 long-pending CAG Reports in the assembly. No immediate reaction was available from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party on the issue. "It took the fear of an adverse order by the Delhi High Court for the AAP government to hurriedly submit the long-pending CAG Reports to the LG to seek his permission, for making it possible for the reports to be made public, by placing them in the Assembly," the office of the Lieutenant Governor said in

Delhi HC to hear plea by BJP MLAs seeking CAG reports in Assembly

The Delhi High Court will hear on December 9 a plea by the city's opposition leaders seeking a direction to place Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports related to liquor duty, pollution and finance before the Assembly. Justice Sanjeev Narula on Monday deferred hearing on the petition while noting that the pleadings in the case were not yet complete. While the counsel appearing for the petitioners stressed that the matter was urgent as the current Assembly session would lapse on December 4, the lawyer for the Delhi government said this was "not the last session". Senior advocate Sudhir Nandrajog, appearing for the Delhi government, said a reply to the petition was being prepared as the matter was earlier scheduled to come up on December 9. Even if the current session ended, the lieutenant governor has the power to re-convene it, he said. "This is not the last session and is not even the last assembly in Delhi. The term of the Assembly is till February and the convening of t

HC to hear BJP MLAs' plea on placing CAG reports in Assembly on Tuesday

The Delhi High Court on Monday agreed to list for October 29 a plea by BJP MLAs seeking a direction to the city government to send 12 CAG reports on liquor duty, pollution and finance to the lieutenant governor for placing those before the assembly. The petition was mentioned for listing by a senior counsel appearing for the petitioners before a bench headed by Chief Justice Manmohan. "Tomorrow," the bench, also comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, said. Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, along with other BJP MLAs Mohan Singh Bisht, Om Prakash Sharma, Ajay Kumar Mahawar, Abhay Verma, Anil Kumar Bajpai and Jitendra Mahajan, filed the petition on Saturday. The plea claimed that CAG reports from 2017-2018 to 2021-2022 were pending with Chief Minister Atishi, who also holds the finance portfolio, and despite the LG's repeated requests, the documents have not been sent to him for tabling before the assembly. The petition, filed by advocates Neeraj and Satya Ran

Assam govt's outstanding debt rises 107% in 5 years from FY19: CAG

The Assam government's outstanding debt increased by over 107 per cent from 2018-19 to 2022-23 with the growth rate of outstanding liability also rising during the period, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report said on Friday. The report for the 2022-23 fiscal, which was tabled in the assembly, noted that the capital expenditure by the state government decreased by over 20 per cent in FY'23 as compared to 2021-22. The outstanding debt of the state "rapidly increased by 107.34 per cent from Rs 59,425.61 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 1,23,214.80 crore in 2022-23", the report said, adding that the growth rate of outstanding liability also increased from 20.60 per cent in 2018-19 to 23.32 per cent in 2022-23. The outstanding liabilities-GSDP ratio also rose from 19.21 per cent in 2018-19 to 24.98 per cent in FY'23 due to increased borrowings from the open market, the auditor said. The public debt constituted 81.98 per cent of the total borrowing at the end of 2022-23. During the year

Goa's fiscal parameters improved under CM Pramod Sawant post Covid yrs: CAG

The CAG has appreciated the Pramod Sawant government's efforts in improving fiscal parameters, including increasing revenue surplus and bringing down fiscal deficit to GSDP ratio in the post-COVID years. A report of the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) till March 31, 2023, was tabled during the just-concluded session of the Goa Legislative Assembly. In an important achievement for the Sawant government, the CAG stated the state has succeeded in improving fiscal parameters like revenue, fiscal and primary deficits etc.\, compared to the previous four years. The report focused on the achievements of Chief Minister Sawant and the Finance Department team in improving the health of state finances very effectively post the COVID pandemic. The analysis of the report makes it clear that Sawant has been a very effective Finance Minister and achieved a majority of targets under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act and Rules. The report pointed out tremendous improveme

CAG flags financial loss of Rs 2,604 cr to Railways in 33 case studies

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has flagged financial losses to the Indian Railways to the tune of Rs 2604.40 crore in 33 case studies of non-recovery of loans and GST, improper decision to generate non-fare revenues, ineligible grant of concession, and unfruitful expenditures. According to the CAG, the instances mentioned in the report are those which came to notice in the test audit for the period 2021-22 as well as those which came to notice in earlier years, but could not be reported in the previous Audit Reports. In one of these 33 cases, the CAG said that the Ministry of Railways suffered a loss of Rs 834.72 crore in interest it was forced to pay to a third party on a loan of Rs 3,200 crore it had extended to IRCON for development of a land parcel. IRCON paid the loan along with interest but no development of the land parcel was done, it said. It recommended the fixing of the responsibility for this huge loss and avoid "decisions for generating Non-Fare ...

Shortage of medical, para staff in test checked hospitals of Railways: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India said in its report that while carrying out an audit of Management of Health Services in Indian Railways' it observed the shortage of medical and para medical staff in test checked hospitals of the Zonal Railways. There was also shortage in availability of machines/medical equipment with reference to IPHS (Indian Public Health Standards) norms. Even the minimum requirement of machines/medical equipment as per clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act 2010 was not being met, the CAG said in its recent report. According to the CAG, the Indian Railways (IR) provide medical and health services to about one crore railway beneficiaries through 129 hospitals and 586 Health Units and the review on Management of Health Services in Indian Railways covered the issues for assessing the adequacy and quality of health services provided by it during the period 2017-18 to 2021-22. Audit examined the implementation of various policies and ..

Most of the PSUs in Chhattisgarh are in very bad shape: CAG report

The long-term loans in 28 state PSUs comprised Rs 977.03 crore advanced by the central and state governments and Rs 12,900.87 crore raised from other sources

Strengthening of local governments crucial in realising SDGs: CAG

Strengthening of local governments is crucial in realizing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), fostering grassroot engagement, and nurturing citizen ownership and accountability, Comptroller and Auditor General of India Girish Chandra Murmu said on Thursday. Local governments are key allies in global development efforts, essential for crafting and executing policies effectively, he said after inauguration of the International Centre for Audit of Local Governance (iCAL) here. They (local governments) operate at the grassroot level, promoting economic growth while addressing global challenges, such as climate change and the preservation of the blue economy, Murmu said. The iCAL is thus envisioned as a collaborative platform uniting policymakers, administrators, and auditors involved in local governments. This centre is committed to engaging with elected representatives, executive officials and auditors of local governments across India and from Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) and

Govt carried out coal auctions after tweaking rules: Cong cites CAG reports

The Congress on Saturday cited CAG reports to allege that the government carried out coal auctions after tweaking rules in order to favour a select few industrialists and this caused huge revenue loss. The opposition party also asked why no action was taken by the government and the prime minister on letters by two BJP leaders raising concerns over the coal auctions. It further asked whether the government would order an ED investigation into the matter. While addressing a press conference, Congress leader Pawan Khera showed letters by BJP leader and now ministers R K Singh and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, raising concerns in 2015 over the coal auctions to some companies by allowing only two companies, who were related, to bid for the blocks that led to cartelisation and loss of revenue. He alleged that the two were later made ministers and no action was taken on their concerns thereafter. "Will the Modi government order an ED raid and investigate this sordid saga of collusion and ...

Delhi LG asks Kejriwal to table CAG reports in Assembly Budget session

Delhi LG V K Saxena has written a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding five CAG reports "pending" with Finance Minister Atishi since August, 2023. Saxena has requested the chief minister to advise the finance minister to "expeditiously process" the important reports concerning state finances so that they can be tabled in the ongoing budget session of the Delhi Assembly. The reports of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) are constitutionally mandated independent and impartial assessment of the performance of the government and in many ways are a guidance document for assessment of its financial performance, said the LG in his letter. "It is an obligation of the government of the day to share with the people, through the House, an objective account of its performance - revenue and expenditure of public funds," he noted. The letter stated that the LG secretariat received copies of communications from controller of accounts to the finance minister's secretary,

CAG pulls up Guj forest dept for ignoring Isro report on wildlife corridors

The Gujarat forest department did not take cognizance of the findings of a scientific study conducted by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with a recommendation on habitat improvement in potential wildlife corridors in the state, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said in a report tabled in the Assembly on Saturday. The CAG's 'Performance Audit of Protection, Conservation and Management of Wildlife Sanctuaries in Gujarat' said ISRO had identified 12 wildlife corridors in its study in 2014 and 2017 and shared it with the forest department with a recommendation on habitat improvement in the potential corridors. The forest department neither conducted any study itself to identify the precise corridors nor took cognizance of the findings of the ISRO study, it said. The corridors thus identified were not included fully in the notified eco-sensitive zones of Balaram Ambaji and Jessore sanctuaries, the report added. Gujarat does not have a state-specific forest policy and t

Kerala's revenue collection in 2021-22 down 10% compared to 2017-18: CAG

A report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on Kerala's revenue sector for the financial year 2021-22 has found that the state's revenue collection had decreased by 10 per cent from what it was in 2017-18, while the receipts from the Centre had increased. The report, tabled in the assembly on Thursday, said that during the year 2021-22, the revenue collected by the state government decreased to 59 per cent from 69 per cent in 2017-18. At the same time, the receipts from the Centre increased to 41 per cent that year from the 31 per cent in 2017-18, it said. The report also said that even though the revenue raised by the state government during the year 2021-22 shows an increase from the previous year of 2020-21, the percentage of revenue raised by it to total revenue receipts has reduced when compared with that of 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 financial years. "The revenue receipts of the state increased by Rs 19,023.41 crore during 2021-22, compared to 2020-21. Th

Mizoram govt incurs Rs 4.88 cr wasteful expenditure due to negligence: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has slammed the Mizoram government for incurring an "avoidable" expenditure of Rs 4.88 crore on formation cutting of Darlak-Sihthiang road in Mamit district due to "negligence". The CAG report tabled in the assembly by Chief Minister Zoramthanga in the recently concluded session said that the construction of the Darlak-Sihthiang road was undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) despite the village being already connected. It said that Sihthiang was connected by 11-km long Chuhvel-Sihthiang paved road, which is an all-weather road since December 2020. While the construction of the Chuhvel-Sihthiang paved road was being taken up in May 2016, an agreement was signed in August 2019 between Mizoram Rural Road Development Agency of the state Public Works department and contractors for the construction of Darlak-Sihthiang road at a cost of Rs 52.81 crore and the project was scheduled to be completed by June 2020. "The

Examining recommendations of CAG audit report on AB PM-JAY: Health ministry

CAG tabled a performance audit report in the Lok Sabha on August 7 on the operationalisation of the AB-PMJAY scheme in hospitals

Costlier land acquisition led to Bharatmala cost overrun: Official

According to the CAG report tabled in Parliament on August 10, only 75.62 per cent of the approved length has been awarded, whereas 158.24 per cent of outlay was sanctioned up to March 31, 2023

Why BJP is silent on CAG report, asks Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Bhagel

A release issued by CAG said, "In the performance audit report by CAG, it has been brought out that per km cost of Dwarka Expressway is Rs.250 crore as against CCEA approved per km cost of Rs.18.2 cr

Highway ministry likely to respond to CAG concerns on Expressway costs

Awarded civil cost of Dwarka e-way 12% less than estimates, says top official