Ministers spend Rs 8.78 crore in pocket money

Ministers in the Akhilesh government have drawn Rs 8.78 crores as pocket money from the state exchequer in the past four years.

The state government gave this information on a question put up by BJP MLA Suresh Khanna.

According to the official sources, each minister is entitled to Rs 2,500 per day as pocket allowance while touring the state – even to and from their constituencies and other places— and Rs 3,000 per day while touring outside the state but within the country.

There are no specific heads for these allowances and a minister can avail the facility even when stationed at one place. “It is basically meant to enable ministers to meet expenses like offering tea and snacks to people who come to meet them”, an official said.

The minister who has withdrawn maximum pocket allowance is Aruna Kori, minister of state for culture (Independent). One of the low-profile ministers in the Akhilesh government, she has drawn Rs 22.93 lakhs as pocket allowance.

Senior minister Azam Khan comes a close second with Rs 22.86 lakhs and third on the list is Kailash Chaurasia, minister of state for child development, who has taken Rs 22.05 lakhs.

Cabinet minister for tourism Om Prakash Singh has take Rs 20.51 lakhs, while Shahid Manzoor, labour minister, has availed Rs 21.25 lakhs.

Independent minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh, .a.k.a. Raja Bhaiyya, has remained contented with Rs 7.50 lakhs while MoS PWDSurendra Singh Patel has taken '18.30 lakhs.

Gayatri Prajapati, who holds the mining portfolio, has availed Rs 12.74 lakhs as pocket money.

Senior minister Shivpal Singh Yadav, interestingly, has set an example by not taking even a single rupee as pocket allowance. Mr Yadav who holds multiple portfolios like irrigation and PWD, is one the most travelled ministers in the government.

Other ministers who have taken paltry amount from this head include minister for basic education Ahmad Hasan (Rs 3.8 lakhs) and Rajendra Chaudhary, minister for political pension, who has availed Rs 2.63 lakhs in four years. Bansidhar Baudh, minister for social welfare, has availed merely Rs 1.92 lakhs.

Talking to this correspondent, a senior minister, who requested anonymity, said the money was mostly spent on the snacks and food for their staff while travelling.

“When we travel with our staff, we certainly do not ask them to pay for their food. In fact, the daily allowance is often insufficient for the expenses,” the minister said.

BJP MLA Suresh Khanna, meanwhile, said that if Shivpal Yadav could set an example by not taking pocket allowance, others ministers should also follow the suit and curb their expenditure.