Gandhi Smriti chief spent over Rs 10 lakhs on luxury items, says RTI reply
The RTI was filed by activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal, who also alleged that he wasn't getting the information and was only given an RTI reply after intervention of Central Information Commission (CIC).
Austerity is among the most cherished values of Mahatma Gandhi but the head of the organisation responsible to preserve and promote Gandhian values seems to be on a mission to make a mockery of these values.
The director of Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti has spent over Rs 10 lakh on buying luxury items for her residence.
Giving details of expenses incurred by Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti's director Mani Mala, Central Public Works Department (CPWD) in an RTI reply has mentioned that Rs 8,19,637 was spent on furnishing the residence of Mani Mala in 2012 alone. In a short span of just three years, Mani Mala has spent a total of Rs 10,32,273 on buying items like modular kitchen, sofa set, room heater, washing machine, LED TV, cordless phone and gyser for her residence, the RTI revealed.
Over Rs 1.5 crore has also been spent on maintenance of official residences and buildings starting from 2011 till now, the RTI reply reveals. While during 2011-2012 an amount of over Rs 39 lakh was spent on upkeep of official residences and buildings, it shot up to over Rs 63 lakh during 2012-13, the RTI reply mentions.
The RTI was filed by activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal, who also alleged that he wasn't getting the information and was only given an RTI reply after intervention of Central Information Commission (CIC).
"Gandhi Smriti & Darshan Samiti provided documents only after intervention of Central Information Commission (CIC) that too partially when break-up of huge expenditure made by CPWD was deliberately avoided for stopping revealing funds spent by CPWD on Director's official residence, even though CIC in its order specifically mentioned to provide detailed and elaborative information about funds spent by CPWD," Agrawal said.
"It refers to some selected documents out of a voluminous other information which is yet to be scrutinised, which reveals that the Director has made mockery of austerity adopted by Mahatma Gandhi in his personal life, by getting installed all five-starred facilities of a luxurious living at his official residence at cost of public-exchequer including from Gandhi Smriti & Darshan Samiti and CPWD," Agrawal said.
Agrawal said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the Chairperson of Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, should take effective measures to stop huge funds for personal luxurious living of the Director and other office-bearers.
"It is time that a drastic cut may be made in allocation of budget for Gandhi Smriti & Darshan Samiti to make it work in accordance with lifestyle of Mahatma Gandhi with complete austerity. An enquiry should also be ordered in misuse and over-spent of funds at Gandhi Smriti & Darshan Samiti," he said.