Delhi Assembly Speaker Submits CAG Report on AAP's Excise Policy to PAC; New Report Expected Tomorrow
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Synopsis
On February 27, the Delhi Assembly deliberated the critical CAG report concerning the AAP government's excise policy. Speaker Vijender Gupta has sent this report to the PAC while requesting further insights within three weeks. A new report on Covid-19 fund mismanagement is also anticipated soon.
Key Takeaways
- The CAG report highlights a loss of Rs 2002 crore due to AAP's excise policy.
- Speaker Vijender Gupta has forwarded the report to the PAC.
- A new report on Covid-19 fund management issues is expected.
- BJP MLAs criticized favoritism in liquor licensing.
- Concerns raised about the impact of easy liquor access on society.
New Delhi, Feb 27 (NationPress) The Delhi Assembly on Thursday engaged in discussions regarding the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) critical report on the former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's excise policy. During the session, Speaker Vijender Gupta dispatched the report to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
According to sources from the Assembly secretariat, Gupta has requested a report from the PAC within three weeks.
“The excise department has also been asked to submit an action-take report within one month,” an aide to the Speaker noted.
A new CAG report concerning the mismanagement of funds during the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the addition of merely 1,300 beds instead of the promised 30,000, is anticipated to be presented on Friday.
During the discussion on the CAG report, which indicated a loss of Rs 2002 crore to the exchequer due to the AAP’s excise policy, BJP MLAs criticized the favoritism shown in the liquor licensing process, the establishment of vends in residential neighborhoods, and the lack of laboratory testing for liquor prior to sale in the city.
While contributing to the debate, Upadhyay highlighted the absence of quality control measures for liquor at the point of licensing vendors, as revealed by the report on the now-defunct excise policy of the previous AAP government.
He stated, “The CAG report indicated that the liquor licensing process failed to meet the requirement for testing liquor samples. Such a policy from the AAP fostered the sale of illicit liquor in the city.”
He added that the government incurred an extra loss of Rs 941 crore due to exemptions provided to zonal licensees.
The CAG report revealed that the exchequer lost approximately Rs 890 crore because the AAP did not re-tender the surrendered retail liquor licenses.
Legislator Tarvinder Singh Marwah from Jangpura remarked that the CAG policy was designed to fund Arvind Kejriwal’s aspirations for the Prime Ministerial position.
“From incurring high rents for vends in residential zones to the smuggling of liquor via trucks from manufacturing sites, the excise policy was at the core of numerous malpractices,” he asserted, claiming that low-cost liquor attracted even 14-year-olds towards alcoholism.
Shika Rai, MLA from Greater Kailash, joined the discussion by accusing that the easy accessibility of liquor under the AAP's flawed excise policy of 'one-plus-one' bottles adversely affected low-income demographics.
“The rate of domestic violence escalated alongside the accumulation of debt in the city,” she stated, noting that many impoverished individuals struggled to make ends meet while being tempted to spend excessively on alcohol.
MLA Neelam Pehalwan from Najafgarh alleged that by establishing 'Pink liquor vends' and providing discounts, the AAP government led women towards alcoholism.
She criticized the arbitrary rise in commissions from 5% to 12% for liquor dealers and the reduction of dry days.
“There are three schools in my constituency, and liquor vends have been opened near all of them,” she said.
In a critique of the AAP government concerning the liquor scandal, Moti Nagar MLA Harish Khurana asserted that it is evident that the “kingpin of the excise scam will return to jail,” implicitly referencing former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The CAG report submitted to the Delhi Assembly indicated that the policy enacted by former CM Kejriwal and his cabinet allegedly resulted in a loss of over Rs 2,002 crore to the exchequer.
