KHATTAR GOVT SPENT ₹190CR ON ADVERTISING IN TWO YEARS

ROHTAK: In just two years of its regime in Haryana, the BJP government led by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has spent an amount of ₹190 crore on advertising itself.

This information was provided by the department of information, public relations and language under a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by Rohtak-based activist and coordinator of Haryana Soochna Adhikar Manch, Subhash.

According to the information, the state government paid ₹173 crore to print media and ₹11.5 crore to electronic media between October 20, 2014 and January 4, 2017 for advertisements.

Besides, the government spent ₹5.5 crore on flax boards to publicise its schemes and events, such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Pravasi Haryana Divas, Haryana Summit, Haryana Swarna Jayanti etc. The RTI applicant said the information, public relations and languages department had at first returned his application without providing any information. He received the information only when he filed the same RTI through the chief secretary’s office. The reply furnished by the department also highlighted lack of coordination and information within the departments.

While the first reply received on April 6 from exhibition officer revealed that the department did not take help from any outsourcing agency to create flax boards for advertisements, another reply furnished on May 2 by art executive of the same department said that the work was done through many empaneled firms on L-1 rate.

ACTIVIST WHO FILED THE RTI SAID INITIALLY THE PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPT RETURNED HIS APPLICATION WITHOUT PROVIDING ANY INFO