The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is standing firm that spectrum allocation under A. Raja has caused the exchequer a loss of Rs 1.7 trillion. This is in response to the arguments put forward by the UPA members to the Public Account Committee (PAC) that CAG?s conclusion was presumptive.
Yashwant Sinha, former minister of finance minister has asked the CAG to furnish an explanation on who could be held accountable for certain changes that facilitated A. Raja taking a leading role in the process of spectrum allocation.
According to news reports, Sinha pointed out that the Prime Minister usually establishes the Group of Ministers, while its terms and reference are settled by the cabinet secretary. This, in turn, means that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) itself could not have brought about the change, which eliminates any role for the finance ministry in spectrum pricing.
In response, the CAG said that this argument is not valid, as an audit by definition implies a post-facto examination of accounts. Other issues that came up included an examination into whether Raja followed the first?come first-served policy; D.S. Mathur, former telecom secretary?s actual role in the issue and why the then financial adviser opted for voluntary retirement.
