PUCL to seek President's intervention for an empowered CAG

In light of the latest CAG report which has made stern remarks about the Gujarat government's performance in some areas, the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has called for more powers for the government auditor so that it does not "end up as a toothless tiger".
After the tabling of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)'s report in the Gujarat Assembly, the city unit of PUCL said it plans to seek the President's intervention to amend the law so that the CAG may have more powers.
At the launch of a PUCL booklet, 'In the mirror of CAG, where is good governance in Gujarat?' here today, its Gujarat state general secretary Gautam Thaker said that the CAG reports tabled in July and November this year have exposed the tall claims of the Gujarat government.

"The CAG made stern remarks about the Gujarat government's failure to provide toilets in schools, failure to stop manual scavenging and in giving awards to village panchayats under its Nirmal Gram scheme. Thus, we want to ask where is the good governance claimed by the government," Thaker said.
He claimed that despite having knowledge of such irregularities in the government, the CAG cannot take any action as the law does not allow it to do so.
"Thus, we have decided to make a representation to the President to make necessary amendments in the law to give punitive powers to the CAG so that it does not end up as a toothless tiger. We also want the government to give an action taken report to the CAG," Thaker said.

Citing the latest CAG report on Local Bodies (2013) tabled this month, PUCL member Mahesh Pandya charged that the Gujarat government has failed miserably in fulfilling its promises.
"The CAG noted that the data provided by Gujarat government was false. Against the Gujarat government's claim that it built separate toilets for boys and girls in each and every school, CAG found that many schools do not have separate toilets," Pandya said at the press conference.