Kerala leader raises questions on CAG audit methods and legislative blockades

Kerala leader VD Satheesan questioned the Comptroller and Auditor General's audit methods during a meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, stating that certain findings went beyond its constitutional limits. Speaking at a conference chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Satheesan pointed to the 2010 audit on 2G spectrum allocation and the 2017 report on the Vizhinjam seaport project as examples of flawed audit approaches. He argued that the estimated loss of one lakh seventy-six thousand crore rupees in the 2G case was a presumptive projection rather than an actual realised loss. He also noted that the Vizhinjam project was a public-private partnership rather than a public sector undertaking, meaning the audit failed to account for required viability gap funding. Satheesan further stated that legislatures should not use their voting majority to stop Public Accounts Committee reviews of CAG reports. He recalled a January 2021 Kerala assembly resolution that sought to keep KIIFB audit findings away from the committee, calling it an unhealthy practice that hurts accountability. He also urged authorities to clear files that have remained pending before committees for over twenty years. In his inaugural address, Speaker Om Birla stressed that public funds must be used for approved purposes with full accountability, noting that committee examinations directly impact citizen services like Anganwadis and railway catering. Meanwhile, Parliament Public Accounts Committee Chairperson KC Venugopal suggested that at least one PAC report should reach discussion in Parliament every single year. Venugopal also urged the CAG to expand audit coverage into major schemes like Swachh Bharat, Jal Jeevan Mission, and PM Awas Yojana, while pointing out an imbalance where sectors like health and education received fewer reports compared to defence and railways over the past six years.

Context

The Comptroller and Auditor General is a constitutional authority that checks government spending and accounts in India, while Public Accounts Committees examine audit reports to ensure financial oversight. Disagreements between political leaders and audit bodies often center on how complex financial projects and estimated losses are evaluated.