Media circulates fake coal scam report: CAG

New Delhi, Mar 22: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Thursday, Mar 22 told the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) that the report submitted by media on coal mining auction was "exceedingly misleading" and there was no loss to the exchequer in the allocations of 155 coal blocks all over the nation between 2004 and 2009.

On Thursday, Mar 22 The Times of India published a news on coal scam titled as, 'Government lost Rs 10.7 lakh cr by not auctioning coal blocks: CAG'. Clarifying the issue, CAG wrote a letter to the Prime Minister and informed the PMO that the draft was "at a very preliminary stage".

In a letter to PMO, CAG said "In the extant case the details being brought out were observations, which are under discussion at a very preliminary stage and do not even constitute our pre-final draft and hence are exceedingly misleading. ... Pursuant to clarification provided by the Ministry in exit conferences held on 9.02.2012 and 9.03.2012, we have changed our thinking .... In fact it is not even our case that the unintended benefit to the allocatee is an equivalent loss to the exchequer. The leak of the initial draft causes great embarrassment as the Audit Report is still under preparation. Such leakage causes very deep anguish."

OneIndia News