The CAG reports on allocation of coal blocks without bidding and the Delhi airport concession given to GMR will be tabled during the current monsoon session of Parliament, finance minister P Chidambaram said today.
The leaked draft CAG reports had rocked Parliament during the previous Budget session and were used by Team Anna to attack the government. "The CAG reports were received in the Ministry of Finance on May 11... (May) 12th and 13th were Saturday (Sunday), so it was put up to the finance minister on May 14 and we approved sending of the reports to the President," Chidambaram told reporters here.
The CAG report on allocation of coal blocks between 2004 and 2009 without auction has reportedly pegged the value of "undue benefits" that the government extended to private firms at more than Rs 1.8 lakh crore.
According to CAG, major beneficiaries included Tata Group entities, Jindal Steel & Power, Anil Agarwal Group firms, Essar Group's power ventures, Adani Group, Arcelor Mittal and Lanco. The CAG report on public-private partnership for the Indira Gandhi International Airport had reportedly said that
Delhi International Airport (DIAL), which runs the utility, has a potential to earn Rs 1,63,557 crore over a 60-year period from the land given to it on a lease rent of Rs 100 per annum, hurting the interest of the government.
"The reports were sent on May 16, it was received back from the office of the President on May 26 at 2:30 pm, by that time the House was in the process of being adjourned, therefore it was not laid on the table of the House at the end of the last session," Chidambaram said. On being asked whether these reports will be tabled in this session, he said "Yes".
"This morning we have issued notice to both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha requesting the Speaker and the Chairman to fix a date to lay the reports on the table of both the houses simultaneously, once they give us a date we will lay all the three reports. There is no delay at all," he added.
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