New Delhi, Feb 25: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report tabled in Delhi Assembly on Tuesday said that former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers allegedly caused a loss of over Rs 2,002 crore through their non-transparent excise policy, popularly known as “Liquorgate”.

Pointing to illegal decision-making to benefit some favoured licencees, the damning report said, “Actual implementation was sub-optimal and objectives behind the policy were not achieved. Vends in non-conforming wards could not be opened and equitable distribution of retail vends could not be achieved. Issue and management of zonal licences had major shortcomings.”

The document of the Central government’s auditor that has exposed the liquor scam is named, ‘Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on Performance Audit on Regulation and Supply of Liquor in Delhi.’

The scam related to the now-scrapped excise policy was a key issue in the just-concluded Assembly Elections, with even Prime Minister Narendra Modi promising to expose the corrupt by announcing, “Jinhone loota hai, unhe lautana padega (The looters will have to pay back every penny).”

On Tuesday, the CAG report was table by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta amid thumping of desks by BJP legislators even as Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena promised to study the CAG findings and improve the system.

Earlier, corruption and money-laundering cases related to the now-withdrawn excise policy saw Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues – Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain – spend months behind bars, before getting bail from court.

The findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Girish Chandra Murmu also highlight the areas in which it failed to achieve its stated purposes.

These failed objectives included: Generate optimum revenue for government, eradicate sale of spurious liquor, simplify excise regime, counter formation of cartels, simplify duty and pricing policy and adequate spread of retail vends.

“Responsibility and accountability should be fixed for the lapses observed and the enforcement mechanism should be strengthened,” said Murmu in his final recommendation in the report for the year ended March 31, 2022. The report was also signed by Principal Accountant General (Audit), Delhi, Aman Deep Chatha.

Under the head of “Decisions taken without the approval of competent authority”, the CAG report included opening of liquor vends in conforming areas like residential areas or close to places of worship or schools.

The report also slammed the previous government for relaxation regarding coercive action against the licencees in case of default of payment of fee, waiver or reduction in licence fee, refund of earnest money deposit in case of Airport Zone and correction in formulae for calculating MRP in case of foreign liquor.

The CAG report also underlined the fact that a report of group of AAP ministers deviated from the recommendations by an expert committee for drafting a new excise policy.

One of the glaring lapses by the GoM was allowing one applicant to get allotment of up to 54 retail vends as compared to the expert panel’s suggestion that an individual may be allotted a maximum of two vends.

The CAG also flagged the provision in the now-scrapped excise policy to allow retail licencees to offer discounts to customers.

Another key finding was the non-setting up of labs to check the quality of liquor being supplied in Delhi, a lapse that exposed millions of city residents to health risks, said the CAG report.

The government auditor’s report tore into the AAP government’s policy-making and implementation, citing several instances of irregularities like – lack of transparency in pricing, violation in issue and renewal of licences, non-penalisation of violators, non-seeking of approval from LG, Cabinet or the Assembly.

The CAG report said the exchequer lost around Rs 890 crore as the AAP government did not re-tender the surrendered retail liquor licences.

The report noted, “There was lack of scrutiny of the business entities with regards to their financial wherewithal and management expertise. Instances of related business entities holding licenses across the liquor supply chain were noticed.”

“Liquor supply data indicates exclusivity arrangements between zonal licencees and wholesalers and Brand Pushing. Surrender of zonal licences during the extended policy period further led to substantial revenue loss. Other important measures which were planned in the policy, like setting up of laboratories and batch testing for quality assurance, setting up of super premium vends etc., were not implemented,” it said.

The government lost an additional Rs 941 crore due to the exemptions that had to be given to the zonal licencees, the report said.

The GoM, headed by Minister Manish Sisodia, allegedly did not act on the recommendation of the expert panel and even allowed disqualified entities to bid for licences.

New Delhi, Feb 25: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday tabled the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report in the Assembly, amid constant rounds of political sparring and squabbling between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP.

Soon after the address of Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, the CM tabled the CAG’s ‘Performance audit report on regulation and supply of liquor in Delhi.’

A total of 14 CAG reports, pertaining to various departments of Delhi government, are to be tabled in the Assembly and as reports suggest they will be tabled in a staggered manner.

The tabling of the CAG report on the Arvind Kejriwal government’s liquor policy assumes significance as this was allegedly the ‘biggest scam’ during the AAP’s tenure and earned it huge backlash and anger from the common public.

A couple of its top leaders were arrested for the corruption-laden excise policy, which was later revoked. Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had to give up his chair.

In the run-up to Assembly elections, the ‘liquor scam’ became a major poll plank as the BJP succeeded in conveying the message that the AAP government facilitated wide-scale corruption with its excise policy. The previous dispensation also stonewalled the tabling of the CAG report in the state Assembly.

Delhi Speaker Vijender Gupta termed the blocking of the CAG report in the Assembly a ‘criminal offence’. He said that the AAP government deliberately blocked the CAG report from coming into public domain and its act also drew harsh criticism from the High Court.

Earlier, when the House proceedings began, the AAP legislators created ruckus in the House by chanting slogans and protesting against the BJP government’s move to insult Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh.

They also tried to disrupt the L-G’s address to the Assembly. Despite directions from the Speaker, the unrelenting AAP MLAs continue to make noise.

Following this, at least a dozen AAP MLAs were suspended for the day.

New Delhi, Feb 25: A total of 12 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs were suspended from the Delhi Assembly for unruly behaviour during the Lt. Governor’s address on Tuesday.

Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Vinai Kumar Saxena was making the customary address in the Assembly when the AAP MLAs resorted to massive sloganeering.

The opposition MLAs were raising Jai Bhim slogans and protesting the removal of Bhagat Singh and Ambedkar’s pictures from the Delhi Chief Minister’s office.

The AAP MLAs tried to disrupt the L-G address. Despite repeated directions from the Speaker, the AAP MLAs continued to make noise.

Speaker Vijender Gupta then ordered the suspension after taking the names of the protesting AAP MLAs. Amid the ruckus, the House was adjourned till noon.

The Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Atishi was also one of the suspended MLAs.

The others were: Gopal Rai, Anil Jha, Jarnail Singh, Vishesh Ravi, Som Dutt, Surender Singh, Veer Singh Dhingan, Mukesh Ahlawat, Virender Singh Kadian, Kuldeep Kumar, and Chaudhary Zubair Ahmad.

The AAP MLAs alleged that the BJP-led government had removed photographs of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh from the Chief Minister’s Office. On Monday, former Chief Minister Atishi shared a photo of herself seated in the CM’s office with portraits of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh in the background. She contrasted this with a photo of the new Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, where portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, President Droupadi Murmu, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were displayed instead.

The BJP quickly hit back, releasing a picture that showed the photographs of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh on an adjoining wall.

A video later also showed photos of Mahatma Gandhi, President Murmu and PM Modi behind the Chief Minister’s chair with photos of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh placed on the adjoining walls.

The Delhi Assembly’s three-day session began on Monday with the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected MLAs and the nomination of the House Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

The BJP government has decided to submit the CAG reports in the Assembly on Tuesday. The report says that the “actual implementation was sub-optimal and objectives behind the policy were not achieved.