Government has rejected the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) estimates of losses of 1.76 lakh crore rupees on account of allocation of 2G spectrum to private telecom operators. Talking to newsmen in New Delhi this evening, the Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said, the estimate had no basis. He went on to say that there were actually no losses to the exchequer. The Minister asserted that CAG has done injustice to itself and the Opposition is doing injustice to aam aadmi.AIR correspondent reports, the CAG in its report, tabled in Parliament in November last year, had said that due diligence was not followed during the spectrum allocation. It said, even the recommendations of the telecom regulator TRAI were not followed in spirit. The report said the presumptive loss caused to the exchequer through spectrum allocation to 122 licensees and 35 dual technology licences in 2007-08 was 1,76,645 crore rupees. It arrived at the figure on the basis of 3G auction held earlier last year in which the government mopped up over 67,000 crore rupees.The 2G scam has become a major political issue with the Opposition demanding a Joint Parliament Committee to probe the issue. The demand, however, was rejected by the government leading to disruption of almost the entire Winter Session of Parliament.
News On AIR | January 7, 2011 6:40 PM
2G spectrum scam: Govt rejects CAG findings