I read the news item. Nice effort Rakesh,
On Fri, Mar 21, 2008 at 3:32 PM, ulprasanthi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hello Friends, > > Please go through this url: > http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/21/stories/2008032159880900.htm > > This is the content: > > 'Spending on RTI publicity a pittance' > > K. Venkateshwarlu > > HYDERABAD: Along with National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Right > to Information (RTI) Act is often billed as the flagship programme of > the United Progressive Alliance Government that gave information- > seeking weapon to the people. > > But is the State Government doing enough to take RTI to people? Not > much, going by the spending on publicizing the programme, according > to > the response given to an RTI applicant, D. Rakesh Kumar Reddy. He was > curious to know the priority accorded to the highly public interest > oriented RTI , the advertisement budget allocated and spent on it and > compare the same with other Government programmes. > > Expectedly, the amount spent on publicizing RTI was the least at Rs. > 7.12 lakh ending October 2007. "In sharp contrast, programmes like > rededication ceremony I am not sure to what and Mahilalaku Andaga, > Neeti Kosamu Tapassu etc got the lion's share," he said. > > But a resourceful Mr. Rakesh stumbled on much more interesting > details. The Government's eye- brow raising publicity splurge > combining outdoor, electronic and print media has crossed Rs.100 > crore mark or Rs. 108.96 crore by October 2007. > > And this is official and spending through not-so-official means like > corporations could be much more. It also means RTI publicity got just > a pittance (0.065 per cent of Rs. 108.96 crore) and confined to > electronic media. > > Mr. Rakesh says the Government took its own time to respond to his > RTI application which he had filed on November 21, 2007. A reminder > and almost after 75 days it responded but as the information was > incomplete, he had to make two more rounds. > > "As a citizen I am surprised at such massive spending of public money > on publicity. Most of it is centered round Chief Minister and his > image building like his tour to US for which Rs.7.60 lakh was spent," > he observed. > > > -- Regards... Harinath http://harinath.in "Beauty is that which attracts your soul, and that which loves to give and not to receive"
