By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Taking a dig at the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in the context of “coalgate”, Union Power Minister M Veerappa Moily has said that there is always an inherent problem with the findings of the CAG.
“The audit report is exclusively based on some certified documents. But the CAG never carried out any physical verification to supplement its findings,” Moily said here on Monday.
The CAG report had revealed an undue benefit of Rs 1.86 lakh crore to private firms in allocation of 57 coal blocks between 2005 and 2009 without competitive bidding.
While emphasizing that the CAG deserves due recognition as a statutory body, he however said that it cannot come up with such reports which have potentials to damage the image of the country.
While defending Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Moily said, “He is man of integrity. He had nothing to hide and ordered for a CBI inquiry (to go into coalgate). But BJP wants to defame him by questioning his honesty.”
Lambasting BJP, the Union minister questioned the saffron party’s motive behind disrupting Parliament session.
Cautioning that the UPA Government would not be cowed down by the Opposition’s move to ‘sabotage’ the development plan, Moily said, “We will not be cowed down by such a conspiracy to bring the country down. Our party is for the national growth.”
Coal blocks that are deallocated by the government after review of their status should be given to the upcoming power projects to meet the capacity addition target of 85,000 MW in the 12th Five-Year Plan, Union Power Minister said.
“Yes, definitely. We are going to seek that (the de-allocated coal blocks). The target of producing 88,000 MW power in the 12th Five Year-Plan is on the track,” he asserted.