Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai on Wednesday said a legislature was competent to take action on CAG reports and “there cannot be a more independent agency” for that job.
Asked if the annual exercise of the CAG was futile considering the little action taken on the anomalies pointed out by it, Rai said, “The Constitutional mandate of the CAG is to prepare the report and hand it over to the legislature. If the matter concerns any public undertaking, it is referred to the Committee on Public Undertaking and if it concerns any department, it is referred to the Public Accounts Committee.”
To a suggestion if there should be an independent agency for follow-up action on the CAG report, Rai said, “There cannot be a more independent agency than the legislature. They are peoples representatives.”
Pointed to reports when some legislators themselves were involved in corruption, Rai said, “There have been instances when lawmakers have reacted very positively and taken corrective action.”
He said a legal route was also available to the public and they can taken recourse to it anytime.
He said, “The Lok Sabha speaker has convened a meeting in Delhi on July 5 (on little action taken on CAG reports). All the presiding officers of the state assemblies have been invited to discuss the issue. Hopefully a solution would come up.”
This issue did not require any clarification since the CAG acts on behalf of the President of India and its reports are constitutionally mandated to be presented before the Parliament.