Top CAG officials have rejected the claim of Union minister Kapil Sibal, who has the additional charge of telecom ministry, that the CAG did not mention anything about the 10th Plan policy in its final report on the 2G spectrum losses. “The report establishes that the losses were indeed to the tune of `1.76 lakh crores and clearly points that it was on the basis of the 10th Plan policy document,” said a top CAG official, on the condition of anonymity.
The official added that the audit report on findings of the CAG on the 2G spectrum which was submitted to the Public Action Committee (PAC) was carried with the information that telecom ministry matters were done on the 10th plan document policy.
“The investigations in connection with the 2G spectrum scam were done in the knowledge that the current department of telecom (DoT) matters are based on the 10th plan document policy,” added the official. Sources in the CAG also pointed out that a letter will be dispatched from the CAG to the DoT officials for further clarification.
Meanwhile, in yet another reaction on the telecom minister Kapil Sibal’s remarks at a press conference calling the figure of `1,76,000 crores derived by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), sensational and “utterly erroneous”, Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar said it was an “insult to the nation”.
Calling Mr Sibal’s act inappropriate, Mr Chandrasekhar said his stance will need to be challenged. “The Supreme Court is probing the matter and Parliament wants the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) and that the minister should not give such clean chits. It seems he plainly wants everyone to pack up and go home,” he stated.
Mr Sibal on Friday challenged the CAG report on the 2G spectrum scam.