Page 4 - Cag

CAG finds irregularities in payment to hospitals during Covid-19 in Odisha

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has found certain irregularities in funding to dedicated private Covid care hospitals (DCHs) set up in Odisha during the Covid-19 pandemic period. In a report tabled at the state assembly on Saturday, the CAG said the Odisha government in April 2020 had issued guidelines for operations of the DCHs, managed by private hospitals. The CAG examined the related records/ documents of 18 DCHs, located in the districts of Khurda and Cuttack. It was noticed that 51,967 Covid patients had been treated in these 18 DCHs in the first two waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, and Rs 724.50 crore had been incurred for the purpose. The audit observed irregularities in passing the bills for payment, without proper check/ verification of documents. Thus, payment of Rs 144.88 crore to the DCHs, without verification of basic documents/ records, was irregular, the CAG said in its report. Similarly, the auditor has also found irregularities worth Rs 2.73 cror

After taking oath at Rashtrapati Bhawan, K Murthy takes charge as CAG

K Sanjay Murthy, former higher education secretary, on Thursday took charge as the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). He belongs to Indian Administrative Service of Himachal Pradesh cadre (1989 batch). Murthy succeeds Girish Chandra Murmu, who demitted office on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Murthy was sworn in as the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India by President Droupadi Murmu at a function in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Prior to this, Murthy was Secretary, Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education. He has also served as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and CEO, National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation, and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Murthy was named the new CAG by the Centre on Monday. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, among others, were present at the oath-taking ...

Govt appoints K Sanjay Murthy as next Comptroller and Auditor General

The government on Monday said K Sanjay Murthy will be the next Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Murthy, a 1989 batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, will succeed Girish Chandra Murmu. He is currently Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. "By virtue of the power vested in her by clause (1) of article 148 of the Constitution of India, the President has been pleased to appoint K Sanjay Murthy to be the Comptroller and Auditor General of India with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office," said a notification issued by the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. Girish Chandra Murmu assumed office as the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on August 8, 2020. He will complete his term on November 20.

Think out of the box, adapt to changing tech landscape: CAG tells officers

Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Girish Chandra Murmu on Saturday urged officers to think out of the box, experiment with new techniques, and adapt to the changing technological and governance environment. With the increasing use of AI and emerging technologies to provide services, he said there are numerous risks, ranging from privacy breaches and algorithmic biases to social exclusion. "...as an organisation, we are deeply cognisant of these developments and are engaging closely with emerging technological trends for enhancing the effectiveness of auditing and accounting practices in such a landscape," he said at the 4th Audit Diwas celebrations here. Murmu emphasised that in the quest for strengthening auditing and accounting practices, "all offices of the CAG's organisation are encouraged to think out-of-the-box and adapt to changing technological and governance environment" by experimenting with new techniques, which help in nurturing creativity in methodologies,

Think out of the box, adapt to changing tech landscape: CAG tells officers

Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Girish Chandra Murmu on Saturday urged officers to think out of the box, experiment with new techniques, and adapt to the changing technological and governance environment. With the increasing use of AI and emerging technologies to provide services, he said there are numerous risks, ranging from privacy breaches and algorithmic biases to social exclusion. "...as an organisation, we are deeply cognisant of these developments and are engaging closely with emerging technological trends for enhancing the effectiveness of auditing and accounting practices in such a landscape," he said at the 4th Audit Diwas celebrations here. Murmu emphasised that in the quest for strengthening auditing and accounting practices, "all offices of the CAG's organisation are encouraged to think out-of-the-box and adapt to changing technological and governance environment" by experimenting with new techniques, which help in nurturing creativity in methodologies,

Delhi HC asks AAP govt to respond to BJP MLAs plea for CAG reports

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought a response of the AAP government on a plea filed by several BJP MLAs seeking a direction to place 12 CAG reports related to liquor duty, pollution and finance before the assembly. Justice Sanjeev Narula subsequently issued a notice to the Delhi government, the office of Legislative Assembly speaker, the lieutenant governor (LG), the comptroller and auditor general of India (CAG) and the accountant general (audit), Delhi. The matter was posted for hearing on December 9. The petition has been filed by leader of opposition in the Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta and Delhi BJP MLAs Mohan Singh Bisht, Om Prakash Sharma, Ajay Kumar Mahawar, Abhay Verma, Anil Kumar Bajpai and Jitendra Mahajan. During the hearing, the counsel representing the lawmakers sought an earlier date of hearing owing to certain "compelling reasons". The counsel appearing for one of the respondents, however, claimed the plea was filed with a political motive. The plea, on the ot

HC to hear BJP MLAs' plea on placing CAG reports in Assembly on Tuesday

The Delhi High Court on Monday agreed to list for October 29 a plea by BJP MLAs seeking a direction to the city government to send 12 CAG reports on liquor duty, pollution and finance to the lieutenant governor for placing those before the assembly. The petition was mentioned for listing by a senior counsel appearing for the petitioners before a bench headed by Chief Justice Manmohan. "Tomorrow," the bench, also comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, said. Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, along with other BJP MLAs Mohan Singh Bisht, Om Prakash Sharma, Ajay Kumar Mahawar, Abhay Verma, Anil Kumar Bajpai and Jitendra Mahajan, filed the petition on Saturday. The plea claimed that CAG reports from 2017-2018 to 2021-2022 were pending with Chief Minister Atishi, who also holds the finance portfolio, and despite the LG's repeated requests, the documents have not been sent to him for tabling before the assembly. The petition, filed by advocates Neeraj and Satya Ran

CAG shines a light on state govts' expenses, asks officials for clarity

The CAG last week raised concerns over unclassified expenditures, questioning state finance secretaries over 'hidden' funds marked for various handouts

Viksit Bharat 2047 goal tough without rural India's development: CAG

Without the development of hinterland, India cannot become Viksit Bharat or a developed nation by 2047, Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Girish Chandra Murmu said on Tuesday. Noting that decentralisation of power has not taken to the extent it should have happened, he said, gram sabha or rural bodies are yet to get its due importance in the federal structure. "Without the development of grassroots level at the local level, we cannot achieve Viksit Bharat. More than 50 per cent people live in rural area, and until their governance, their development, their administration, their resources are not augmented, we will not be able to reach (Viksit Bharat goal). As our prime minister says that if everyone take one step, we will have 1.4 billion steps... that is why Jan Bhagidari is important," he said. There are about 2,60,000 panchayats and 7,000 urban local bodies in the country. He empahsied the need for strengthening of local bodies so that efficiency of government schem

CAG plans to develop its own AI for fast writing of audit reports

Comptroller and Auditor General of India G C Murmu on Wednesday said the supreme audit institution is in the process of developing its own Artificial Intelligence (AI) protocol for faster writing of its audit reports. "For data analysis and various other things, we have our own system in place...for the writing (audit reports) we have now started, so we have to see," he said here. "Data is collected by our auditors at the field from the records...in some cases, we have to reclassify according to our requirement. For that we run analytics...cleaning is done through the analytics," he said. Once cleaning of data is done and classification and integration made as per the requirement, he said, adding that algorithm biases are hardly there in analysing data. He said about 35 audit reports would be tabled in both Parliament and state assemblies during the upcoming winter session. About 200 reports are presented in a year by the office of CAG. Speaking about 16th Assembly of the Asian .

Kulwant Singh takes charge as Executive Director of regulatory body IBBI

Kulwant Singh, a 1999 batch officer of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service, has taken charge as Executive Director of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), according to a release. Earlier, Singh has served as the Director General of Audit, East Coast Railway. "Kulwant Singh took charge as Executive Director, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), on 11th September 2024," a release dated September 11 by the IBBI said. Singh has a graduate degree in law. He has completed more than 25 years in various capacities in the office of Comptroller & Auditor General of India (C&AG). He was also posted as Principal Director of Audit in Embassy of India, Washington DC and Director of Audit in High Commission of India, London. Last year in December, IBBI announced that Jithesh John has taken charge as an executive director. Prior to that, IBBI in October had announced that Sandip Garg has assumed charge as a Whole Time Member in the Bankruptcy Board. IBBI is a key

Rs 782.2 cr given to 122K ineligible beneficiaries under KALIA scheme: CAG

The previous BJD government in Odisha had released Rs 782.26 crore for distribution of financial assistance to 12.72 lakh "ineligible" beneficiaries under its Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme, a CAG report said. In its report No 2 of the year 2024, the CAG said the scheme was launched in December 2018 to provide financial assistance to farmers, landless agriculture households and assistance to vulnerable agricultural households, life insurance support to cultivators and landless agricultural labourers, and interest-free crop loan. In February 2019, a sixth component 'KALIA scholarship' was added to provide scholarship on merit basis to the children of beneficiaries under the scheme pursuing professional courses in the state. During its launch, the government had promised Rs 5,000 per family per crop season for five crop seasons and Rs 12,500 to landless farm labourers in three years. "Due to lack of preparedness in planning, the government di

Revenue implication of Rs 4,162 cr as Odisha's iron-ore grade declined: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) which conducted an audit of six iron-ore mines in Odisha has observed that after the auction of the selected mines, there was an "abrupt and abnormal decline in the grade of iron-ore and its classification", as reported by new lessees. "The decline of grade of iron ore has resulted in a revenue implication of approximately Rs 4,162.77 crore for the financial years 2020-21 and 2021-22 in the form of lesser royalty and premium (post auction)", the CAG said in its report No 6 of the year 2024, which was laid before the Odisha Assembly on Wednesday. Though more than 83 per cent production was reported in the grade of 62-65 per cent Fe (iron) in the pre-auction period, the same came down to approximately 16 per cent in the two years after auction (2020-2022), it said. Similarly, the auditor said, the share of grades 60 per cent Fe and below went up from approximately 11 per cent of total production to more than 60 per cent of total ...

Assam govt's outstanding debt rises 107% in 5 years from FY19: CAG

The Assam government's outstanding debt increased by over 107 per cent from 2018-19 to 2022-23 with the growth rate of outstanding liability also rising during the period, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report said on Friday. The report for the 2022-23 fiscal, which was tabled in the assembly, noted that the capital expenditure by the state government decreased by over 20 per cent in FY'23 as compared to 2021-22. The outstanding debt of the state "rapidly increased by 107.34 per cent from Rs 59,425.61 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 1,23,214.80 crore in 2022-23", the report said, adding that the growth rate of outstanding liability also increased from 20.60 per cent in 2018-19 to 23.32 per cent in 2022-23. The outstanding liabilities-GSDP ratio also rose from 19.21 per cent in 2018-19 to 24.98 per cent in FY'23 due to increased borrowings from the open market, the auditor said. The public debt constituted 81.98 per cent of the total borrowing at the end of 2022-23. During the year

CAG, General Court of Audit of Saudi Arabia sign pact for mutual support

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has signed a pact with the General Court of Audit, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to strengthen cooperation and exchange of expertise between the two nations in the field of public sector auditing. The area of cooperation encompasses conducting joint training programmes on topics related to financial, performance and compliance audits and exchange of audit manuals and audit methodologies, the CAG said. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Thursday in Riyadh. "Our commitment to a strong bilateral relationship is a witness to the shared values and objectives of our institutions and will serve to reinforce bonds between our SAIs and our nations," CAG Girish Chandra Murmu said. The CAG stated that the support and cooperation between the two SAIs will energise their capacity development initiatives and encourage exchange of knowledge and information between the two Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs). Hussam Abdulmohsen Alangari,

CAG signs pact with Uzbekistan's Chamber of Accounts to foster cooperation

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India signed a pact with Uzbekistan's Chamber of Accounts in Tashkent to foster international cooperation. The agreement, inked by the two supreme audit institutions, aims to enhance collaboration and exchange of expertise in the field of auditing between the two nations, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) said in a statement. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishes a collaboration platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience amongst auditing professionals to develop the capacity for conducting audits. Girish Chandra Murmu, the CAG of India, expressed his confidence in the partnership, stating, "Our MoU is important as collaborative efforts and knowledge sharing among SAIs promote the dissemination of best practices and innovative solutions, creating a global network of expertise". Additionally, investing in capacity building ensures that Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) are equipped with the necessary skill

Goa's fiscal parameters improved under CM Pramod Sawant post Covid yrs: CAG

The CAG has appreciated the Pramod Sawant government's efforts in improving fiscal parameters, including increasing revenue surplus and bringing down fiscal deficit to GSDP ratio in the post-COVID years. A report of the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) till March 31, 2023, was tabled during the just-concluded session of the Goa Legislative Assembly. In an important achievement for the Sawant government, the CAG stated the state has succeeded in improving fiscal parameters like revenue, fiscal and primary deficits etc.\, compared to the previous four years. The report focused on the achievements of Chief Minister Sawant and the Finance Department team in improving the health of state finances very effectively post the COVID pandemic. The analysis of the report makes it clear that Sawant has been a very effective Finance Minister and achieved a majority of targets under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act and Rules. The report pointed out tremendous improveme

CAG flags financial loss of Rs 2,604 cr to Railways in 33 case studies

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has flagged financial losses to the Indian Railways to the tune of Rs 2604.40 crore in 33 case studies of non-recovery of loans and GST, improper decision to generate non-fare revenues, ineligible grant of concession, and unfruitful expenditures. According to the CAG, the instances mentioned in the report are those which came to notice in the test audit for the period 2021-22 as well as those which came to notice in earlier years, but could not be reported in the previous Audit Reports. In one of these 33 cases, the CAG said that the Ministry of Railways suffered a loss of Rs 834.72 crore in interest it was forced to pay to a third party on a loan of Rs 3,200 crore it had extended to IRCON for development of a land parcel. IRCON paid the loan along with interest but no development of the land parcel was done, it said. It recommended the fixing of the responsibility for this huge loss and avoid "decisions for generating Non-Fare ...

Shortage of medical, para staff in test checked hospitals of Railways: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India said in its report that while carrying out an audit of Management of Health Services in Indian Railways' it observed the shortage of medical and para medical staff in test checked hospitals of the Zonal Railways. There was also shortage in availability of machines/medical equipment with reference to IPHS (Indian Public Health Standards) norms. Even the minimum requirement of machines/medical equipment as per clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act 2010 was not being met, the CAG said in its recent report. According to the CAG, the Indian Railways (IR) provide medical and health services to about one crore railway beneficiaries through 129 hospitals and 586 Health Units and the review on Management of Health Services in Indian Railways covered the issues for assessing the adequacy and quality of health services provided by it during the period 2017-18 to 2021-22. Audit examined the implementation of various policies and ..

CAG finds major irregularities in Jharkhand ULB's waste management projects

Major irregularities were detected in the performance audit of solid waste management in Jharkhand's urban local bodies (ULBs), according to the latest CAG report tabled in the assembly on Friday. Anomalies were found in planning and institutional mechanisms, financial management, implementation of solid waste management (SWM) projects, expenditures, and other areas, the report said. The performance audit involved test-checking 14 sampled ULBs out of 50, covering the financial years 2017-18 to 2021-22. This audit was conducted between July 2022 and January 2023 to assess the quality of SWM facilities, the report added. The state government notified the Jharkhand State Urban Sanitation Policy in 2018. The audit revealed that none of the 14 test-checked ULBs had prepared SWM plans. Additionally, nine out of the 14 ULBs failed to recognise organisations of informal waste pickers or collectors. "There was a 28 per cent vacancy for sanitary supervisors and an 89 per cent vacancy in the