BELAGAVI: Ministers in the erstwhile cabinet headed by Siddaramaiah claimed Rs 24 crore in travel allowances in the five-year term of the government, according to an RTI.RTI activist Bheemappa Gadad said on Tuesday the then health and family welfare minister U T Khader claimed the highest amount of `1.56 crore in travel allowances, followed by Rs 1.52 crore by the then forests minister Ramanath Rai and `99.72 lakh by T B Jayachandra who headed law and parliamentary affairs.
TA claims of each of trio was way above the amount claimed by then CM Siddaramaiah whose claims which amounted to 53.82 lakh. About Rs 15 per km is charged by private operators for travel in a car. But it has come to light that the ministers were paid Rs 30 per km.
“The government could have saved crores if it had hired posh cars from the market for the ministers instead of paying them hefty sums toward their allowances. Despite providing cars to all ministers, the government granted `30 per km to them against the Rs 15 per km charged in the market,” Gadad said.