BENGALURU: “Is there a scam happening? Why is the government evading accountability for allocating funds without transparency,” asked BJP MLA Arvind Bellad.
Bellad, who represents the Hubballi-Dharwad West constituency, alleged that the Congress government has entered into an understanding and signed a contract with an organisation, The Policy Front, to promote the government’s achievements and projects on social media.
Though any contract that exceeds Rs 7 crore needs to follow transparency norms, none of the rules were followed. The contract has been granted without transparent disclosure, he charged. “Though it was raised through an RTI, officers concerned did not respond as mandated by law. The lack of transparency raises many questions,” he said.
Sources said the contract to The Policy Front was given by the information and publicity ministry originally for 36 months at Rs 99 lakh per month. Later, it was reduced to Rs 60 lakh per month for 12 months, amounting to Rs 7.2 crore per year.
The New Indian Express contacted the person who filed the RTI, and he said that he did not get the desired information from the government. Someone is being economical with this information, he added.
A source said, “The absence of the information minister at present has proved in several cases that the portfolio is run by some powerful persons. The matter needs to be investigated.”