PAC did not reach consensus on the adoption and consideration of the government’s response to COVID-19.
New Delhi:
The Public Accounts Committee, or PAC, one of the largest parliamentary groups that examines key Auditor General reports and has addressed issues like the 2G spectrum scandal in the past, has failed to reach consensus on the adoption and consideration of the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic on Friday or the new PM CARES fund set up to deal with the crisis.
The chairman of the committee, Adhir Chowdhary, who is also the leader of the Congress party at Lok Sabha, called on the members to think of the nation and act with their conscience and to find a consensus on the important subject.
The ruling BJP members, however, came in full force with a clear directive for the panel meeting to block Mr. Chowdhary’s proposal to examine the government’s treatment of the coronavirus crisis, sources said.
The greatest support for the BJP came from the chief of Biju Janata Dal, Bhartuhari Mahtani. The opposition was outnumbered, the head of DMK TR Balu being one of the few to support the proposal, those present at the meeting told GalacticGaming.
Some opposition leaders have said that the reason for refusing to review the COVID-19 pandemic and for the government’s response was that the ruling BJP was afraid to take a closer look at the PM CARES fund, which is not available. is not subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India or CAG.
The ruling party, which enjoys the majority and is chaired by senior leader Bhupender Yadav in the panel, blocked Mr. Chowdhury’s attempt to select the PM CARES fund for review, saying its amount was not approved by Parliament and therefore could not be taken over by the committee. .
The government has declared that the PM CARES Fund, created as a war chest for national emergencies to collect donations from individuals and the private sector, will not be examined by the government auditor but by “independent” auditors.
It was the first time that the PAC met after the lifting of isolation across the country and unlike other committees where the presence of members was minimal, the BJP ensured that there was participation almost complete.
With this decision, the key parliamentary committee will not be able to examine and analyze one of the biggest bottlenecks in the world, the government’s response and how it is handling the crisis at the moment.
The PAC, however, agreed to review the construction of border routes on the real control line (LAC) and the purchase of high-altitude clothing for the armed forces following the recent confrontation between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the east from Ladakh who left 20 dead Indian soldiers.
