Responding to information revealed recently under the Right To Information Act about Rs 68 lakh reportedly being spent in the Chief Minister’s office on tea and snacks in a period of 10 months, Cabinet Minister and State Government spokesman Madan Kaushik said that this was a non-issue as the sum stated includes expenditures incurred by Ministers and bureaucrats. He further said that the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat gives Rs 10,000 per month from his own salary towards tea and snacks expenses.
Addressing the media, Kaushik said, “I saw the information which was provided in response to the RTI application. According to that the Rs 68 lakh includes expenses of the CM, all Cabinet Ministers and bureaucrats from additional secretary, secretary upto the principal secretary and chief secretary.
Considering that this is expense incurred on people visiting 70-75 persons including the CM, cabinet ministers and bureaucrats, the amount is very limited. It also includes the expense incurred during their oath-taking ceremony. Plus, it is not as if the Government is paying some private contractor as the money is paid to the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam. In addition to this, the CM also pays Rs 10,000 from his salary every month towards tea and refreshment expenses. A non-issue has been inflated into an issue by the opposition which has no better issues to focus on,” added Kaushik.