Embarrassed by the CAG report but not dispirited, the Bihar government has punched holes in parts of the watchdog’s findings, pointing at its “errors” like DC bills already submitted having not been scrutinised, but the Opposition parties are insisting on a CBI probe.
Financial irregularities reported in the CAG’s findings and the Opposition parties’ growing chorus for a CBI probe prompted deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, also Bihar’s finance minister, to rebut some indicting assertions in the report. Mr Modi’s rebuttal came after some ministers advised patience till the CAG report was examined by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
“Although the government has already submitted DC bills worth `15,879 crore from 2002-03 to 2009-10, the accountant-general’s office has still not scrutinised them due to lack of manpower. DC bills and utilisation certificates kept in 80 gunny bags are yet to be processed,” said Mr Modi on Wednesday. The CAG report for 2010-11 had said DC bills for the government’s expenses of `22,575.37 crores were pending for years.
Mr Modi also disputed the CAG’s contention that the government withdrew `7,015.37 crores through AC bills in 2010-11, clarifying that `4,033.72 crores of it was grant-in-aid, for which submission of DC bills was not required. Disagreeing with the CAG report’s findings about withdrawals of massive sums in the last days of the financial year, Mr Modi said this “normal practice” was because central funds usually reached the state at the end of the fiscal year.
In its eagerness to “rectify the discrepancies,” the state government has hired retired officials of the AG office and decided to put up tents on the AG office premises to help in the scrutiny of the DC bills already submitted, said Mr Modi.
But the Opposition RJD, LJP, Congress and CPI appeared unmoved by Mr Modi’s explanations. “By pointing at technicalities and procedures, the government is seeking to explain away what seems to be huge corruption. The CAG has also disputed the authenticity of many of the DC bills submitted. Why cannot the government order a CBI probe if it is so confident?” asked leader of the Opposition Abdul Bari Siddiqui of the RJD.