MVA govt spent ₹2.79 crore on swearing-in ceremony: RTI

The newly formed Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government spent ₹2.79 crore on the oath-taking ceremony of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and six of his cabinet

The newly formed Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government spent ₹2.79 crore on the oath-taking ceremony of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and six of his cabinet colleagues at Shivaji Park, Dadar, on November 28, 2019. The event cost ₹1.81 crore more than what the Devendra Fadnavis-led government had spent when it was sworn-in in November 2014.

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These expenses were disclosed by the government in response to a right to information (RTI) query by activist Nikhil Chanshetti.

Chanshetti had sought information about the expenses incurred on the oath-taking ceremony held in 2019, 2014, and 2009.

In reply to the query, the upper secretary of general administration department, RG Gaikwad, informed that the government had spent ₹27,907,374, of which ₹303,257 was used for floral decorations and ₹27,604,117 was the cost of electrification on the day of the swearing-in.

However, the government is unable to provide information about expenses incurred for the oath-taking held in 2009, citing documents were lost in the June 21, 2012 fire in the Mantralaya.

“The finance minister always says the condition of the state is so weak... Then why had the state government increased its spending on the swearing-in ceremony by almost threefold?” said Chanshetti.

In 2014, the BJP government had spent ₹9,837,950 for Fadnavis’s swearing-in ceremony which was held at Wankhede Stadium on October 31, 2014.