₹85 crore spent on investment meet: RTI
RANCHI : The Jharkhand government spent nearly ₹85 crore during the maiszden Global Investors’ Summit last February.
The whopping expenditure included CM’s dinner party worth ₹12.42 lakh.
An RTI query revealed that the CII had submitted a bill of ₹17.26 crore including taxes with the industry department of Jharkhand for organising the two-day mega event on February 16 and February 17 for the state government.
Besides CII, state information public relation department (IPRD) had spent ₹40.55 crore and the state industry department pumped ₹12 crore, the reply to the RTI said.
However, state industry director K Ravi Kumar told Hindustan Times on Friday that his department invested a sum of around ₹25 crore in the summit.
“The department also paid for Ad Factor, a Mumbai-based private advertising cum public relations company, roped in by the government for the summit,” he said.
This ₹25 crore, he said, also included the expenses for shooting the TV commercials with former team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
As per the bill raised by Confederation of India Industries (CII), a partnering body for the event, food and beverages served to guests alone was worth ₹1,76,87,860.
Besides, CM’s dinner, organised on the concluding day of the event, cost ₹12,48,186.
“The dinner bill includes food and beverages for 300 guests, mementos for them, and the live stage shows,” said a senior CII official.
A Ranchi resident, Sunil Kumar Mahto had filed the RTI seeking details of expenditure carried out to organise the GIS under Momentum Jharkhand campaign.
“I received reply only from two departments and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). Several other departments and consultants were also involved in miscellaneous works related directly and indirectly to the event, but I am yet to gather their expense details,” said Mahto.
He added that several hundred crores were spent for the event and campaigns on road to it.
The state organised five domestic and three international road shows to lure investors to the summit, he said.
The GIS was organised with much fanfare in Ranchi with participation of more than 11,000 Indian and 600 foreign delegates including industry giants.
The state government signed 210 MoUs worth ₹3.10 lakh crore during the two-day GIS event. State government had then claimed that over 100 short-term MoUs would materialise within a year.
Of the set target, three projects have already been inaugurated and foundation of 21 projects have been laid in May this year. Chief minister Raghubar Das will lay foundation stone of 70 new projects in Jamshedpur on Saturday.
I received a reply only from two departments and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). Several departments and consultants were involved in miscellaneous works related directly and indirectly to the event, but I am yet to gather their expense details. SUNIL KUMAR MAHTO, who filed the RTI