Kerala Assembly passes motion to reject C&AG report on KIIFB
Jan 22, 2021
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], January 22 : Amidst strong opposition from United Democratic Front (UDF), an unprecedented resolution presented by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against Comptroller & Auditor General's (C&AG) report was passed by Kerala Assembly here on Friday through the vote on account.
Moving the resolution under Rule 118 in the Kerala Assembly, the Chief Minister said, "There are rules and regulations in place to conduct C&AG audit. What happens if you consciously override the procedures that have been in place for ages?"
The resolution rejected the remarks regarding Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) from Page no 41 to 43 of the state financial audit report of the C&AG.
"During the C&AG audit, the draft report is submitted to the concerned department and their views are sought. After considering these views, the final report is tabled in the Assembly with the signature of the C& AG, the constitutional body. This goes to the Public Accounts Committee for consideration and the committee prepares its report", the CM stated giving details on the procedures normally followed.
Alleging that the due procedures were not followed by C&AG during auditing, Vijayan said, "There are some parts of the final report that have not been included in the draft report. In short, the concerned department has been denied natural justice. The basic principle of natural justice is that the affected person or institution should also be heard before making a decision. The very basis of conducting a C&AG audit has been violated."
Vijayan further said that if this erroneous practice is accepted, the existing checks and balances between the executive and the legislature will be subverted.
"We have an obligation that Kerala Assembly should not be discredited. This is why we have come up with the resolution," he further added.
The resolution was moved after C&AG rapped the state government over the borrowings by Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), which it said also violated conditional provisions. Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac had presented the report in the Kerala Assembly with an objection note.
Earlier, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac had alleged that the audit report was prepared with political interest eyeing the upcoming Assembly polls in the state.
