New Delhi: Realising the potential damage that agencies like the Comptroller and Auditor General can cause to the government’s image, as happened in the case of 2G and Coalgate scams, the Modi regime wants key ministries to engage with the auditing watchdog and other autonomous agencies in a more “constructive manner’’ so that they do not end up projecting a wrong image of the government’s functioning.
The UPA had come under considerable criticism when the auditing watchdog had pegged the losses in both the spectrum allocation and the coal scam in excess of a lakh of crore. Sources said the Modi government is extremely sensitive to the fact that its public perception should not be hampered and while agencies like the CAG, CVC and the CBI should continue to enjoy greater autonomy there should be increased dialogue between the two.
It is for this reason, sources said, that PMO has asked key ministries to ensure that whenever they get a query from any such agency they should not merely present data or relevant files but provide detailed reasoning in writing as to why a particular decision had been taken so that the government’s point of view can also be brought on record.
The PMO has sent out a clear directive that all important files should be kept safe and preserved in a digital format also.
