Public Money is continuously being dumped into politically aimed ads in newspapers and TV Channels these days. A recent example is sufficient to show that how seriously Government utilizes the Tax Payer’s hard earned money.
On Monday, newspapers in New Delhi were flooded with ads, some of them full page, on the 21st death anniversary of India’s former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Hindustan Times alone had 11 of them. The Times of India had nine while The Indian Express had eight, all paying tribute to Gandhi.
And it’s a collective effort of various ministries. From the Delhi government to the ministries of power, steel, environment, information & broadcasting, women & child development, commerce & industry — all have space reserved in national dailies to pay tribute in their own way.
And this Austerity drive is not limited to New Delhi, but happens in almost  all states.
Over the weekend, Mamata Banerjee, a key ally of the Congress-led government, had a centre spread in The Times of India as her government completed a year in office. The ad, titled ‘One year towards a ray of hope’ explained the recent initiatives of her state government in West Bengal.
And this is not restricted to the government. Last week, J.Jayalalithaa, whose party sits in opposition in parliament, celebrated a year in office as chief minister of Tamil Nadu with ads on the front page of many English dailies.
One wonders where the money for these ads comes from? Can it be used in a better manner? Are these ads really needed?
Several million rupees are spent on print media ads on the birth and death anniversaries of national leaders. It is tough to understand how India can afford to spend taxpayers’ money this way when there is dire need of reforms as growth languishes near 3-year lows, current account deficit rises and the rupee sinks.
When it comes to austerity, even Pratibha Patil, the President of India, has been under fire. She has been criticised for costing the public exchequer more than 2 billion rupees on her foreign trips, a record for any Indian president.
A few days after his Parliament speech, Mukherjee announced a ban on government employees buying new vehicles and imposed curbs on holding workshops/meetings by government officials at five-star hotels.
But are these Austerity Measures only for Officials? A Business Standard Report Suggests that at least 15 Ministers would
Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath is travelling to Tokyo this week, as part of the CII delegation to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.
Nath will inaugurate the business roundtable at Tokyo, co-hosted by CII and its Japanese partner, Keidanren.
Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan is travelling to Rio De Janeiro for the Earth Summit, scheduled from June 20 to June 22.
HRD and Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal is scheduled to visit the US for a week next month — a trip on which he will combine work related to both his ministries.
Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh is headed to the USA to take possession of the Dreamliner aircraft.
Commerce Minister Anand Sharma will be travelling to Brussels in June for the EU-India negotiations on FTA.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar will be visiting New Zealand and England in the next few weeks.
Petroleum Minister Jaipal Reddy is slated to go to Turkmenistan in connection with the signing of the TAPI pipeline agreement
Those who have no immediate travel plans include Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, I&B Minister Ambika Soni, Home Minister P Chidamabaram, among others.