Is public money spent of mass contact programmes in an irrational manner?
21 Feb, 2014
The secretary general of Kerala Congress Mr George Sebastian has claimed that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy spent Rs. 4 crore on his mass contact programme. The expenditure figure does not include that incurred on food and travel. Mr. Sebastian relied on a reply to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to substantiate his claim. He alleged that the amount spent on the mass contact programme exceeded the total quantum of assistance given to the people. He further alleged that no norms were followed while selecting the beneficiaries during the process of providing assistance to the people. This is the second round of mass contact programme by the CM.
The Chief Ministers and Ministers often go for mass contact programme which involves spending of huge public money. Their movement involves use of government machinery and resources. Should there be any norms for the same?