NEW DELHI: India’s top government auditor Vinod Rai Tuesday stood by his calculated presumptive loss of Rs.1.76 lakh crore in the 2G spectrum allocation, a day after his former colleague had dismissed the figure as a “mathematical guess”.
Rai, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, had a marathon session of about six hours with members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). Rai told the panel members that during the various stages of spectrum allocation audit, the CAG had come across many projected loss figures and his figure of Rs.1.76 lakh crore was presumptive.
Briefing the media following Rai’s deposition, JPC chairman P.C. Chacko termed the meeting as “cordial, rigorous but inconclusive”.
The top auditor will be questioned again Nov 22.
Rai’s deposition before the JPC came a day after his former colleague, R.P. Singh contradicted the controversial 2G audit report saying the presumptive loss of Rs.1.76 lakh crore in the radiowave allocation was only a “mathematical guess”.
Singh, one of the key auditors in the 2G case, told the multi-party parliamentary probe panel that the loss suffered in the sale of scarce radiowave spectrum was only Rs.2,645 crore.
Rai was asked about the differences of opinion within the CAG. But he denied this, Chacko said.
The top auditor told the JPC he had disagreed with Singh’s findings because “the higher authority can take the decision and it was a normal procedure”.
Rai said he could not have simply accepted what comes to him, Chacko said. (IANS)
