Jaipur, Aug. 31 -- Rajasthan issued 236,000 driving licences in 2022-23 from 44 transport offices that did not have even a driving test track, raising serious questions over whether applicants' driving abilities were actually tested before licences were issued, according to a new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit. The CAG's performance audit of Rajasthan's road safety system found that 34.45% of the 684,000 licences issued during 2022-23 came from offices without any testing track. The audit said this was in contravention of a transport department order of February 2009 that mandated driving tests on tracks- the report, tabled in the Rajasthan assembly on Friday reads. The audit found a striking difference in the failure rates of applicants depending on the availability of testing infrastructure. Of 5,34,829 applicants tested at offices with manual tracks, only 969 were declared failed. At offices without any track, just 1,742 of 5,47,345 applicants were declared failed. In contrast, more than 2% of applicants were declared failed at offices having automated driving tracks. The CAG found that 24 offices had neither automated tracks nor adequate testing infrastructure despite more than seven years having passed since the state approved Rs.39 crore in 2017 for automated driving tracks at 37 RTOs and DTOs. Only 13 automated tracks had been established by March 2025, while the remaining 24 offices were still without them. More significantly, the 13 automated tracks that had been established remained functional only until March 2023. The CAG said they could not subsequently be operationalised because the transport department did not extend its memorandum of understanding with the company responsible for their automated operation. The audit also found that 24 offices- 15 without any track and nine with manual tracks, declared all applicants who appeared for driving tests as having passed on their first attempt during the period examined. The CAG linked the issue directly to road safety, noting that driver error was responsible for 79% of road accident fatalities. The audit said automated tracks were more effective in assessing driving competence and recommended establishment and operationalisation of automated testing tracks at all licence-issuing offices. Earlier, a CAG report had said Rajasthan failed to utilise more than 70% of the Central funds allocated under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), and the scheme's implementation was marred by irregular payments, poor quality checks and procedural lapses. State laboratories could test water samples for only 41 of the 78 prescribed quality parameters and lacked facilities to detect radioactive and toxicological contaminants. District-level laboratories could test for only 9 to 22 of the 34 prescribed parameters. The CAG also questioned the use of JJM funds for foundation-stone-laying ceremonies....