Odisha govt spent Rs 8 crore on advts during 3 months before polls

Sambad English Bureau Published On : May 1, 2014 at 3:35 PM Updated On : May 1, 2014 at 4:29 PM

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, May 1:

As part of a pre-election strategy to publicise the so-called success in implementation of various government programmes and schemes, the BJD government in Odisha spent around Rs. 8 crores between December 2013 and February 2014 towards the release of advertisements in newspapers.

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This was revealed through an RTI query, leading RTI activist Pradip Pradhan said in a release today.

Pradhan said the state government had released in all 66 advertisements to newspapers on various programmes including the visits of the chief minister Naveen Patnaik to different districts.

Stating that money from the state exchequer was used for the pre-poll publicity campaign of the ruling Biju Janata Dal in the name of the state government, Pradhan said it is a huge wastage of public money for narrow political ends.

He also said many of the advertisements were unnecessarily repeated such as the ones on Mamata Yojana, Madhubabu Pension Yojana and One rupee rice, which were advertised thrice each in the three-month period.

The highest amount of Rs 69,36,000 was spent on February 10 for an advertisement called Odisha Shows The Way to blow its own trumpet about its extraordinary achievement in tackling cyclone Phailin. The next day it spent another Rs 37, 45,372 on an adverstiement on construction of cyclone shelters.

The RTI Application on behalf of the Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhiyan (OSAA) was submitted to the department of Information and Public Relation seeking information on the details of the amount spent towards government advertisement from December, 2013 to February, 2014.

The newspaper which have received advertisement are Dharitri, Pragativadi, Sambad, Suryaprava,Dinalipi,Prajatantra, Samaj, Sambad Kalika, Matrubhasa, Odisha Express, Odisha Bhaskar, Anupam Bharat.

Here are the details of the 66 advertisements released to the newspapers :

Sl. No. /Name of Govt. programme for which advertisement was made/ Date of Advertisement/ Cost in Rs.

1 Visit of Chief Minister to Mayurbhanj district/11.12.13/ Rs 18,82,614
2 Visit of Chief Minister to Gajapati and Rayagada/ 14.12.13/ Rs 9,04,366
3 Visit of Chief Minister, Odisha to Sundargarh district/ 15.12.13/ Rs 8,76,248
4 Recognition for effective coordination and preparedness in Phailin/ 20.12.13/ Rs 17,80,614
5 Visit of Chief Minister to Cuttack district/ 28,12.13/ Rs 9,11,608
6 Second bridge on Mahanadi river, Foundation stone laying ceremony/28.12.13/ Rs 18,72,686
7 Visit of Chief Minister to Jajpur and Balasore district 29.12.13/ Rs 9,61,078
8 Visit of Chief Minister to Kalahandi district/ 31.12.13/ Rs 4,71,036
9 Visit of Chief Minister to Kalahandi district on development programme/ 31.12.13/ Rs 18,72,786
10 Visit of Chief Minister to Koraput district on development programme/02.1.14/ Rs 9,30,614
11 Regarding relief to Chief Ministers’ Relief Fund/ 7.1.14/ Rs 18,72,686
12 Visit of Chief Minister to Cuttack district/ 16.1.14/ Rs 4,28,434
13 Book release function of “Aina” booklet on various development programme/ 15.1.14/ Rs 5,07,909
14 Visit of Chief Minister to Cuttack, Jajpur and Bhadrak/ 18.1.14/ Rs 4,53,203
15 Visit of Chief Minister to Kalahandi and Nuapara/ 21.1.14/ Rs 12,12,270
16 Visit of Chief Minister to Sundargarh district/22.1.14/ Rs 3,30,208
17 Visit of Chief Minister to Puri district/ 23.1.14/ Rs 9,06,406
18 Viist of Chief Minister to Angul district/ 27.1.14/ Rs 9,66,280
19 Historic decision of State Govt. to provide land free of cost and bearing 50 % of budget estimate for Khurda-Bolangir railway/ 26.1.14/ Rs 18,76,686
20 Visit of Chief Minister to Sambalpur district/29.1.14/ Rs 18,72,686
21 Visit of Chief Minister to Sambalpur district/29.1.14/ Rs 4,53,203
22 Visit of Chief Minister to Balasore and Bhadrak district/1.2.14/ Rs 4,83,140
23 Profit from Kendu leaf business to Kendu leaf puckers/1.2.14/ Rs 18,72,686
24 Ama Odisha Dekhae Bata/ 2.2.14/ Rs 18,72,686
25 Mamata Yojana/8.2.14/ Rs 4,69,166
26 Distribution of One Rupee Rice under PDS/ 8.2.14/Rs 4,69,166
27 Madhubabu Pension Yojana/ 8.2.14/ Rs 4,67,177
28 108-Ambulance Service/ 8.2.14/ Rs4,67,177
29 Madhubabu Pension Yojana/ 8.2.14/ Rs 4,69,166
30 108-Ambulance Service/ 82.14/ Rs 4,69,166
31 Distribution of One Rupee Rice under PDS / 8.2.14/ Rs 4,67,177
32` Mamata Yojana/ 8.2.14/ Rs 4,67.177
33 Krushi Karman Puraskar/ 10.2.14/ Rs 18,72,686
34 Odisha shows the way/ 18.2.14/ Rs 69,36,000
35 Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana /11.2.14/ Rs 9,36,343
36 Construction of Cyclone Shelter/11.2.14/ Rs 37,45,372
37 Mission Shakti/ 12.2.14/ Rs 9,36,343
38 Yuba Sambala ra Bikash/ 13.2.14/ Rs 9,36,343
39 Visit of Chief Minister to Nayagarh district/ 14.2.14/ Rs 18,72,686
40 Visit of Chief Minister to Puri and Cuttack district/ 15.2.14/ Rs 9,06,406
41 Odisha Lokayukta Bill passed in Assembly/ 15.2.14/ Rs 18,72,686
42 Visit of Chief Minister to Jajpur and Boudh district/ 16.2.14/ Rs 9,66,280
43 Education for the children of SC and ST Community/ 16.2.14/ Rs 9,36,343
44 State Youth Policy/ 16.2.14/ Rs 9,36,343
45 Visit of Chief Minister to Nuapara and Bolangir district/ 18.2.14/ Rs 9,06,406
46 Facilities of Irrigation to Agricultural land by State Govt./18.2.14/ Rs 9,36,343
47 Visit of Chief Minister to Nabarangpur and Malkangiri district/19.2.14/Rs 10,61,446
48 Respect to cultural heritage of SC and ST Community/19.2.14/ Rs 8,48,980
49 Visit of Chief Minister to Ganjam and Jajpur district/ 20.2.14/ Rs 10,61,446
50 Visit of Chief Minister to Balasore district/ 21.2.14/ Rs 4,52,183
51 Visit of Chief Minister to Balasore district/ 21.2.14/ Rs 78,540
52 Lokabhimukhi Prasasanna / 22.2.14/ Rs 4,83,140
53 Visit of Chief Minister to Boudh and Kondhamal district/22.2.14/ Rs 9,06,406
54 Visit of Chief Minister to Sundargarh and Jharsuguda district/23.2.14/ Rs 9,66,280
55 Recognition of Odia language/23.2.14/ Rs 18,72,686
56 Visit of Chief Minister to Angul and Dhenkanal district/ 24.2.14/ Rs 9,06,406
57 Strengthening Rural Infrastructure/ 24.2.14/ Rs 9,36,340
58 Visit of Chief Minister to Baragarh and Boudh district/ 25.2.14/ Rs 9,66,280
59 One rupee rice/ 25.2.14 / Rs 9,36,343
60 Visit of Chief Minister to Jagatsinghpur and Jajpur district/ 26.2.14/ Rs 9,06,406
61 City Bus service-Ganjam / 26.2.14/ Rs 4,83,140
62 Visit of Chief Minister to Mayurbhanj district/ 1.3.14/ Rs 9,06,406
63 Respect to Culture of SC and ST Community/ 1.3.14/ Rs 9,36,343
64 Visit of Chief Minister to Cuttack district/ 28.2.14/ Rs 9,66,280
65 Madhubabu Pension Yojana/ 27.2.14 /Rs 9,36,343
66 Mamata Yojana/ 27.2.14/ Rs 9,36,343

3 Comments

JAYANTA KUMAR DAS (RTI ACTIVIST) says 10 years ago

This is a wastage of public money. Even some of the public servants get incentives from news papers for giving such advertisements to them. I can not understand how the people of odisha are tolerating. thanks to sri pradip pradhan (convener of odisha soochana adhikar abhijan) for exposing the government on this issue.
Jayanta Kumar Das (RTI activist)
Mob- 861770749(M)
alok jena says 10 years ago

‘Public ka mall daria main dal’
And how many crores Odisha Govt has been spending in the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India by engaging senior lawyers,to hide the black acts in the mining loot and the mega chit fund loot ?
R L Patnaik says 10 years ago

This is a very small amount compared what the prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi spends on a single meeting, projecting himself sans every body else. How many of us are absolutely honest to speak of honesty. Let us use our vote, for what we believe right.

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