CAG gag

The change of guard at the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) from Vinod Rai to Shashikant Sharma has been marked by a key change in the style of functioning of the country's auditor as well. Insiders say CAG will no longer bring out press releases or hold press conference to publish its findings, a practice that Rai had made common even for minor issues such as losses to the exchequer from the import of pulses. Signs of the new order were evident after the latest AgustaWestland report was tabled in Parliament yesterday. CAG neither put out a press release nor held a press briefing, which made many beat regulars and even officials wonder whether the auditor has gone back to the pre-Rai days of secret and opacity.