English: nehal,narendra modi

English: nehal,narendra modi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

 

Times of India, 3 October 2012

 

 

VADODARA: A day after Hisar-based RTI activist punctured Narendra Modi‘s claims on Rs 1,880 crore public money spent on Sonia Gandhi‘s foreign tours, there is more embarrassment in store for the chief minister.

 

A social activist from the city on Friday claimed that Modi’s office has failed to share information on his travelling expenses for women sammelans even though its five years now that she sought the details through right to information (RTI) application.

 

Trupti Shah had filed an RTI application on July 18, 2007 to know about expenses incurred by Modi during the 27 women empowerment sammelans organized in that period. Shah had demanded details about expenses incurred on food-packets for women, traveling expenses of Modi and other ministers, publicity expenses and government officials involved in the sammelans.

 

“My application to chief minister officer (CMO) was forwarded to general administration department (GAD) that gave me the list of 27 districts where the events were organized. I was also given information about food-packets and other expenses. But the traveling expenses were not provided,” Shah told TOI.

 

“I wrote to GAD to provide me travelling expenses. But, I got the reply that as per the information provided by the CMO, chief minister does not mention the travelling expenses separately. They further said that as far as travelling expense of the chief minister is concerned, consider that as nil. This is ridiculous as Modi had travelled in helicopter to most of the sammelan venues,” Shah said.

 

“I was practically denied the information by forwarding the letters from one department to another. If Modi wants Sonia Gandhi to share her travelling expenses, then why doesn’t his government share similar details sought by me?” questioned Shah.

 

Shah said that if Modi has travelled to so many places, his expenses must have been borne by some government department or private parties. When she didn’t get replies despite several reminders, she filed complaint before the chief information commissioner (CIC) under 18 (1) of RTI Act in 2008.

 

“In the last hearing on September 26, the CIC directed GAD to collect information sought by me and pass it on to me before next hearing,” Shah said.

 

Shah had sought the information as the state government had denied to implement machinery for the Domestic Violence Act, 2005 andPCPNDT Act 1994 citing lack of funds.