Gujarat Assembly tables CAG report

The opposition Congress launched a scathing attack on the state government for tabling the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for the financial year ending on March 2013 on the last day of the Assembly Session.

Leader of the Opposition Shankersinh Vaghela said the report should have been tabled within a week of tabling of the budget.

The CAG report has been critical of the Gujarat government for extending undue benefits to Essar Power Gujarat to the tune of Rs 587. 5 crore and to Reliance Petroleum to the tune of Rs 362.01 crore. 

The CAG report also observed that contrary to the original idea of developing the Mundra Port as a public-private port, it has become a private port over time and the state government did not even follow the competitive bidding process in disinvesting its stocks in Gujarat Adani Ports Limited, the jointly-promoted project by the Adani Group and the Gujarat Maritime Board-owned Gujarat Ports Infrastructure Development Company.

There was, however, some praise for the state as well. The CAG report observed that the total revenue receipt of the government of Gujarat in 2012-13 increased to Rs 75,228.53 crore from Rs 62,958.99 crore in 2011-12.  The state’s revenue receipt grew 19.49 per cent over previous year and increased steadily from 2008-09. The state’s tax revenue has increased by 128.79 per cent from 2008-09.