Respond to CAG report, Shabbir tells CM

Hyderabad: Former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Wednesday demanded Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao respond to the serious observations made by the Comptroller & Auditor-General of India (CAG) in its reports on State finances. Ali, in a statement said the CAG, in its audit report for year ended March 2020, which was tabled in the Assembly on March 15, pointed out that the State government has been spending public money without 'adequate justification' and without the approval of Legislature.

"The CAG, in chapter 3 of the report said, "Budgetary assumptions of the State government were not realistic during 2019-20 and control over the execution and monitoring of budget was inadequate. Supplementary grants/appropriations were obtained without adequate justification and in some cases, despite the Legislature not approving supplementary provision, expenditure was incurred."

He said the CAG has once again described the budgets of the TRS government 'unrealistic'. "The CAG has mentioned that the budgetary estimates of the State government were 'not realistic'. The word 'unrealistic' or 'not realistic' was used at least eight times in the 162-page report, with specific references to financial mistakes committed by KCR government. The CAG itself has advised the State government "to take corrective measures for realistic estimation in future," he said.