Kapil Sibal slams CAG; says no loss due to 2G spectrum allocation

Sibal slams CAG; says no loss due to 2G spectrum allocation

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) In an unusually strident criticism of the government auditor, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal today slammed the CAG for its projection of Rs 1.76 lakh crore as presumptive loss on account of 2G spectrum allocation, terming its methodology as "utterly erroneous."

He said there was "no loss at all" to the exchequer due to allocation of licences and 2G spectrum in 2008.

The period pertains to his predecessor A.Raja who was forced to quit on the issue of alleged scam in spectrum allocation over which the Comptroller and Auditor General had come out with a report including the whopping presumptive loss figure.

"We believe the exercise (by CAG) was fraught with very serious errors which resulted in a kind of sensationalism which has allowed the Opposition to spread utter falsehood to the people of India and we object to it," Sibal told a press conference.

Prefacing his remarks with a statement that the Congress party does not attack constitutional institutions like the CAG, he said "We respect the CAG."

"We are extremely pained at the methodology adopted by CAG. Some figures have no basis whatsoever. But it is human to err and to err is human.

"The CAG has done injustice to itself and the Opposition is doing injustice to aam aadmi by not allowing Parliament to function," he said adding the auditor should not have left the loss figures as presumptive that has embarrassed the government and the nation.

He said all operators have been given start-up 4.4 Mhz spectrum which comes bundled with licence and no charges paid for this frequency.

The minister said no operator/licencee has been charged for the start-up spectrum of 4.4 Mhz, be it in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 or in 2008.

He claimed in 1999 a change in policy by the NDA regime from fixed licence fee to revenue share regime caused a "net" revenue loss of Rs 1.50 lakh crore.

Sibal, however, said that "we believe, prima facie there was some thing wrong in procedures adopted for allocation of 2G spectrum and that is why the Telecom Ministry has formed a one-man committee to look into the procedures."

As and when the report comes "we shall take strongest action against the people involved," he said.

As far as criminal culpability is concerned CBI is doing the investigation under the monitoring of the Supreme Court. he said. .