NDTV:
New Delhi: Saturday, 11 July 2015.
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's pet project, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, has cost
thrown up an ad bill of nearly Rs. 100 crore, according to information revealed
through a Right to Information or RTI application.
The
government has spent 94 crore only on print, radio and television ads to
promote the cleanliness mission that PM Modi launched on Mahatma Gandhi's birth
anniversary October 2 last year.
The BJP-led
government's bill matches the previous Congress-led UPA's spending on ads to
promote its Nirmal Bharat campaign. Yet, the Congress was quick to target the
Modi government and draw parallels with Arvind Kejriwal's decision to spend Rs.
526 crores on advertisements to showcase the Delhi government's work.
"Yes, we
made some ads towards the end of our 10-year term to showcase our work but such
money should be used judiciously, rising above party politics. We are always
short of resources for some development project or the other. We cannot waste
100 crore on Swachh Bharat ads or be forced to listen to Kejriwal's voice after
every song on radio," said Congress leader Ajay Maken, a former Union
minister.
The BJP,
which has strongly criticised the Kejriwal government's ad budget, defends the
Swachh Bharat campaign by arguing that ambitious programs need massive
awareness campaigns. "Now people are at least aware that they should not
litter. This campaign goes to schools, malls, street vendors, truck drivers and
rural areas and creates awareness. It is an important component," said
Rajiv Pratap Rudy, skill development minister.
By 2019, the
government plans to spend Rs. 2 lakh crore to construct nearly 11 crore toilets
and cover almost every Indian household.
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