The government should ensure transparency and competitiveness in public private partnership (PPP) projects, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar said today. “The services being delivered through PPP mode to the users should meet the agreed time, cost, and quality standards,” she said while inaugurating a seminar organised by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

Kumar said apart from ensuring transparency and competitiveness in the process of award of contracts, it is equally important to protect the public exchequer from any unintended misuse of claims from concessionaires.

She said that oversight bodies like CAG and Committee on Public Undertakings and Public Accounts Committee must give enough attention to PPP projects as this will ensure protection of user interest and security of value for public money.

The speaker also said that tasks of financial committees and the CAG in modern times have become more extensive and complex, with ever-increasing government spending, enormous amount of outlays on programmes for improving the basic quality of life of the common man and changed systems of public finance and service deliveries for achieving better outcomes. “Besides, people expect much greater transparency and public accountability for good governance,” she added. 

“PPP is another area of concern where governmental authority is delegated for recovery of user charges, private control for monopolistic services and sharing of risk and contingent liabilities by the government so adequate attention of oversight bodies like CAG, PAC and COPU is required in these areas,” Kumar added.