UP ministers splurge `9 cr on refreshments in 4 years

LUCKNOW: In four years’ time – from March 2012 to 2016 - 71 out of the 72 Uttar Pradesh ministers spent a whopping Rs 9 crore as ‘pocket money’.

The only exception to the rule was the chief minister’s uncle, veteran minister Shivpal Yadav, who didn’t spend a penny as ‘pocket money’.

As many as 28 ministers ran bills in excess of Rs 15 lakh under the head though a woman minister of state (independent charge) Aruna Kumari Kori took the cake. From March 2012 to 2016, she drew Rs 22, 93, 800 as pocket money.

Influential veteran Azam Khan wasn’t too far behind running a bill of Rs 22, 86, 620, apparently on “chai” for his visitors. “I neither have any pocket nor any money,” he said in his usual cheeky way before explaining that the amount may have been incurred on “chai” for the visitors.

A query by head of BJP’s legislative party Suresh Khanna wanting to know from CM Akhilesh Yadav how much pocket money has been spent by his ministers led to Yadav making the disclosure in a written reply. Yadav also pointed out that to cut costs, the ministers are allowed to avail a fixed amount of Rs 2500 per day on out of city visits while for visits out of state the ministers are entitled to spend up to Rs 3000 per day.

It isn’t clear on what heads were the expenses made though the general assumption was that the ministers blew it all up on ‘chai-samosa’!

Minister of state for child development and nutrition and primary education Kailash Chaurasia spent Rs 22.85 lakh, while excise minister Ram Karan Arya and land development and water resources minister Jagdish Sonker were among those with more than Rs 21 lakh spending. Cabinet minister Om Prakash Singh was marginally behind at over Rs 20 lakh.

Some of them, like Shiv Kumar Beria, had spent nearly Rs 22 lakh by the time they were removed as ministers. Beria quit in October 2015. Senior minister Shahid Manzoor (Over Rs 21 lakh) too was among the high spenders. Among veterans only Rajendra Chowdhary (Rs 2,63,400) and Ahmad Hasan (Rs 3,80,774) had reasonable expenses to show. Shadab Fatima, minister for women welfare (independent charge) had spent Rs 72,500 in her one-year term.

Though UP government ministers like Rajendra Chaudhary, who is also the party spokesman, explained that the amount comes in handy to meet expenses of visitors, who call on ministers from their constituencies in large numbers, it provided BJP a chance to take potshots at the government. “It does sound odd that the ministers have been busy splurging at a time when several schemes of UP government have been discontinued for lack of funds,” says UP BJP spokesman Harish Srivastava.

IT ISN’T CLEAR ON WHAT HEADS WERE THE EXPENSES MADE THOUGH THE GENERAL ASSUMPTION WAS THAT THE MINISTERS BLEW IT ALL UP ON ‘CHAI-SAMOSA’!