BJP Govt didn't spend less than Cong Govt on foreign tours
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 23 July 2014 20:25 IST
Is the Bharatiya Janata Party government spending more on foreign tours for promotion of Goan tourism than the erstwhile Congress government?
The figures made available to the ongoing Assembly indicate that the BJP government spent on average almost 42 per cent more in the first eight months itself after coming to power than the five years ruled by the Congress.
Replying to the unstarred question asked by BJP MLA Kiran Kandolkar, tourism minister Dilip Parulekar has provided the figures of amount spent on foreign tours for tourism promotion from 2007 to 2012.
The BJP government, after Assembly elections, came to power after March 2012.
Though the government had provided the amount spent from March 2012 till date on foreign tours in a separate reply, the starred question in this regard was postponed yesterday in order to make some corrections in the figures.
However, reply to the unstarred question indicates that around Rs 21 crore was spent in five years during Congress regime, from January 2007 to March 2012, on total 55 foreign tours, from the public exchequer.
The BJP government, on the other hand, spent over Rs three crore in the first eight months, from April to November 2012, on six tours.
This comes of around 15 per cent expenditure in the first eight months of the BJP, compared to the amount spent during Congress regime in 63 months.
The average amount spent per tour during the Congress regime comes to around Rs 38 lakh, compared to around Rs 54 lakh spent by the BJP-led government.
During the Congress regime, the countries visited for road shows, exhibitions and world trade marts include Portugal, Spain, Dubai, USA, UK, Russia, South Africa, Kazakhstan, China, Singapore, Finland, Denmark, Scotland, Ireland, Japan, Italy, Berlin, Australia, Austria and Turkey.
During the BJP regime, in 2012, the foreign tours were conducted to Nepal, Russia, Singapore, UK, Hungary and Czech Republic.
The minimum amount spent during the Congress regime was Rs 6.66 lakh for a four-day Dubai tour in May 2009 while the maximum amount was Rs 95.33 lakh for the USA tour in February 2011.
During the BJP regime, the lowest spent foreign tour was Nepal in May 2012 spending Rs 29.85 lakh while the maximum amount of over Rs one crore was spent on London World Trade Mart held in November 2012.
However, the comparison of mere eight months of the BJP to the 63 months of the Congress may not provide proper comparison. The real comparison would be possible only when tourism minister Dilip Parulekar provides the reply to the expenditure incurred in last two years of the BJP regime in the ongoing Assembly session.
|
Regime |
Year |
Amount (Rs) |
No of Event |
Average Amt |
|
Congress |
2007 |
2.34 Cr |
7 |
33 L |
|
|
2008 |
3.51 Cr |
10 |
35 L |
|
|
2009 |
3.59 Cr |
12 |
30 L |
|
|
2010 |
4.87 Cr |
12 |
41 L |
|
|
2011 |
5.39 Cr |
11 |
49 L |
|
|
2012 (Till Mar) |
1.14 Cr |
3 |
38 L |
|
Total |
|
20.84 Cr |
55 |
38 L |
|
BJP |
2012 (Apr-Nov) |
3.21 Cr |
6 |
54 L |
Dilip Parulekar tops the League of BJP MLA`s enjoying foreign Junkets, at the cost of Goan taxpayers.
I wonder how many more BJP MLA`s will be entitled to these Foreign Junkets, enabling Mr Parrikar to hold on to his Dictators Chair?
However one concession should be made. The CM must at any cost, send Sudin Dhavilikar on some "Foren" or Phoren" junkets so as to ease his mind-set into the 21st Century.
There is a commonly used phrase: "If it gets to hot in the Kitchen ,get out of it".
We Goans recommend that if Sudin Dhavilikar finds Bikini clad women too hot for his senses, he should stop hanging around Goa`s Main Tourists beaches. He could alternatively, hang around in secluded areas of a Beach.
Better still he could always go to one in Maharashtra .
I would not recommend Mumbai, as Sudin will find himself in Hot waters.
What Congress and what BJP ? Tow faces of the same coin. Does the men change by changing the Party Jersey? Today's BJP men were yesterday's Congress men. Tomorrow they may again wear some other Jersey. Politicians change Parties like changing the foot ball teams. Don't take them serious.
Who Said Congress & BJP Are Different Parties? Both Are Same Parties With Different Names!