Empowered CAG

THE office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has dismissed as baseless the claim that the transfer of three officers was linked to the submission of reports critical of the Modi government’s flagship Bharatmala and Ayushman Bharat schemes. A news portal had reported that the officers were handling the audit reports that had exposed corruption. Alleging intimidation of officers and questioning the government’s silence about the matter, the Congress has demanded the cancellation of the transfers. The CAG report, it has said, documented 1,400 per cent cost inflation and tendering irregularities in the Dwarka Expressway project, and faulty bidding practices as well as 60 per cent cost inflation of the Bharatmala scheme. An audit of Ayushman Bharat showed that lakhs of claims were paid to dead patients and at least 7.5 lakh beneficiaries were linked to a single mobile number.

During the UPA rule, CAG reports used to be a lethal weapon in the hands of the Opposition. The CAG emerged as a key institution responsible for ensuring accountability. Having been at the receiving end, the Congress has accused the BJP of imposing curbs on the custodian of the public purse since 2014. Following the latest controversy, the CAG has denied issuing verbal orders to stop all field work. It has pointed out that the approval of audit reports has been on the rise under the incumbent, Girish Chandra Murmu, a Gujarat-cadre officer who was appointed as the CAG in 2020 after serving as the first Lieutenant Governor of J&K. These facts are not under dispute. The empowerment and independent functioning of the institution, free from government control and political bias, are at the core of the debate.

The office of the CAG has spoken about fulfilling its constitutional duty to ensure transparency and accountability in governance. Nothing less is expected.