Times of India: Jaipur: Sunday,
May 05, 2013.
Comptroller
and auditor generalVinod Rai on Saturday said that reports of the CAG can be
accessed by the public at every stage, including when the draft report is
ready, through an Right To Information application.
"Under
the law we are obliged to share information if someone files an RTI," Rai
said here and added that whenever an audit query is raised if someone files an
RTI the CAG is bound to give away the information, and this can happen at any
stage of the audit, even at the point when the draft report is ready.
Rai was
speaking here at the inauguration of the International Centre for Environment
Audit and Sustainable Development. He said that the CAG office never has
indulged in any selective leaks as it is duty bound to maintain secrecy till
the report is tabled in Parliament.
Earlier, when
the CAG's draft report on coal block allocations had leaked and he was accused
by several cabinet ministers for finding it way into media, Rai wrote to the
PM, saying , "Naturally leakage of this draft report may attract an
allegation that the 'CAG leaks'. It would console me immensely if the source of
the leak is investigated... As I had stressed earlier in my letter to you on
July 5, 2011, I am not in a position to repudiate such an allegation as the
leak could have been from my office or from the department to which this draft
report was made available on 28.02.2012." The "department" being
referred to was the coal ministry.
On the
conflicting report given by the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on 2G
spectrum, Rai said he would not comment on what the loss estimate the House panel
has arrived at but as far as CAG report is concerned he said the auditor had
given three band on estimation of presumptive losses, the highest being Rs
1,76,000 crore that was referred to and quoted.
"I can't
put a finger on one figure and say that this is correct," Rai said and
asserted that the purpose of giving three bands was to stress that "the
quantum of loss can be debated."
He rejected
speculation that he has any political ambition, claiming he has not yet
discussed his post-retirement plans even with his wife.
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