Delhi Cag Report / Liquor policy causes loss of 2 thousand crores, CAG report presented in the House

Delhi Cag Report: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report related to the liquor policy was presented in the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday. This report presented by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta caused a political earthquake in the capital. The report claims a revenue loss of more than Rs 2,000 crore to the Delhi government due to the excise policy of 2021-2022. Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta said that the previous government suppressed this report and the public was kept unaware of it.

Irregularities in liquor policy exposed

According to the CAG report, the new excise policy of 2021-22 caused heavy losses to the government due to weak framework and inadequate implementation. The report has identified serious violations in the process of issuing licenses.

According to the report, the recommendations of the expert panel constituted for policy formulation were ignored by the then Deputy Chief Minister and Excise Minister Manish Sisodia. Also, timely permission was not taken to open liquor shops in 'non-conforming municipal wards', leading to a revenue loss of Rs 941.53 crore. The government also suffered a loss of Rs 144 crore due to irregular grants given to liquor licensees during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Uproar and political uproar in the assembly

As soon as the CAG report was presented, there was a huge uproar in the assembly. The ruling party and the opposition came face to face over the report. The BJP made serious allegations of corruption against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said that this report exposes the dark deeds of the AAP government. At the same time, Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa claimed that the Arvind Kejriwal government had kept this report hidden for the last three years.

AAP leader Atishi termed this report a conspiracy and said that her party would protest from the House to the road. Due to the uproar, 22 AAP MLAs of the Assembly were suspended, after which Atishi and other leaders sat on a dharna under Ambedkar's statue.

Serious findings of CAG report on DTC

• The CAG report also raised serious questions on the working style of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). According to the report:
• Despite having financial resources, DTC did not buy enough buses.
• The contract period was reduced due to delay in contracting electric buses.
• The scheme of giving free travel to women further increased the financial deficit.
• Flaws in route planning and no change in bus fares resulted in a loss of Rs 14,199 crore in seven years.
• Despite a grant of Rs 13,381 crore given by the government, DTC had to suffer a loss of Rs 818 crore.
• Focus on welfare schemes of Delhi government
• Several welfare schemes were announced in the Lieutenant Governor's address presented in the Assembly:
• A special plan will be made for cleaning the Yamuna river.
• Work will be done towards making Delhi the best metro city.
• Poor women will be given Rs 2,500 per month.
• Ayushman Yojana will be implemented in Delhi.
• Gas cylinders will be made available to the poor for Rs 500.
• The pension of senior citizens will be increased to Rs 2,500
• Atal canteens will be set up in slums.
• A 100-day action plan of the Delhi government will be prepared.

Conclusion

This CAG report has brought a new upheaval in Delhi politics. The opposition has made sharp attacks on the Kejriwal government over the alleged scam in the liquor policy and financial irregularities in DTC. At the same time, AAP has termed it a political conspiracy. Delhi politics is expected to get more heated on this issue in the coming days.