Times
of India: Bareilly: Sunday, 25 January 2015.
Ever wondered
how much the Republic Day ceremony at Rajpath, with all its smart marches,
colourful tableaus and performing artistes, costs to put together?
A query under
the RTI Act has elicited a response from the Central Public Works Department
(CPWD) that says the Centre spent Rs 320 crore in the four-hour parade in 2014.
Over the years, the expenses on Republic Day celebrations have risen quite
substantially. In 2001, the expenditure was Rs 145 crore. Pawan Agrawal, a
Moradabad-based RTI activist, had requested the information last year. "I
had sought details of the expense incurred on Independence and Republic Day
functions at Red Fort from the year 2000 to 2013," he told TOIon Saturday.
The response
to his query, however, only contained details of expenses incurred by the
Centre on Republic Day celebrations.
The Rs 145
crore that was incurred by the Centre in the financial year 2000-01 rose to Rs
226 crore in 2003-04. For the next three years, though, expenditure decreased
somewhat, in step with a not-so-healthy economy. In 2006-07, the government
spent Rs 149 crore on the celebrations. The budget for the R-Day function was
then increased by 34.16% in 2007-08, and the Centre spent Rs 227 crore that
year. In 2009-10, it went up to Rs 285 crore. There was slight decrease in the
budget in 2011 and 2013, but the Centre ended up spending a robust Rs 320 crore
in 2014. In comparison to the amount spent in 2001, the budget for the parade
last year shot up by 54.51%.
Agarwal had
also sought an answer to the security detail ahead of Republic Day and
Independence Day functions, and the expense incurred in arrangements for these.
"Information on security arrangements was denied, on grounds of national
interest," he said.
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