Siddaramaiah, the Karnataka CM spends 54 Lakh per month on Social media which raises concerns among the people. This fact comes out from the reply to an RTI (Right to Information) query filed by Marlinga Gowda Mali Patil. The activist sought the information when he came to know about the huge spending on social media.
This social media expenditure is for both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s official and personally used social media accounts. Content creation, monitoring, and promotion activity per month on all platforms at a cost of about Rs 54 lakh a month. The company, called The Policy Front deploys about 35 persons, to manage Siddaramaiah’s social media engagement. This team follows up with the Chief Minister so that his online communication remains active and engaging.
Rs 54 Lakh per month just for CM Siddaramaiah’s personal and official account
— Amitabh Chaudhary (@MithilaWaala) September 2, 2024
If you check the X account of Siddaramaiah , you will see a maximum of 1-2 posts daily , that too simple pictures and posts …. Then, where is the Rs 54 lakh going every month ???
Yet another SCAM… pic.twitter.com/ol2iylzZCL
Karnataka CM spends 54 Lakh per month on social media which is much less than that of previous Chief Ministers
Despite the high spending, officials from the Chief Minister’s Office said the current expenditure was far less than that of previous Chief Ministers. They were reportedly spending over Rs 2 crore a month on similar activities. The CMO, from October 25 last year till March 2024, spent nearly Rs 3 crore on social media management. This amount was inclusive of 18% GST.
The recent controversy was sparked by an announcement that CM Karanataka spends 54 Lakh per month on social media in his office. The critics say it is too high an amount when other governmental departments are suffering due to the economic downturn. On the other side, the supporters say online presence in today’s world falls within the ambit of public relations. The issue is now in focus on the spending of public money in the Chief Minister’s Office.
It shall be noted that Siddaramaiah was re-elected as the 22nd CM of Karnataka back in May 2023. He first served in the role from May 2013 to 2018. Earlier, he was the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka between 1996 and 2005.
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