Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's office spends nearly Rs 54 lakh per month to manage and maintain his social media accounts, including both official and personal accounts, revealed an RTI reply.
Answer sought by filing RTI
According to a report by the Times of India, RTI activist Marlinga Gowda Mali Patil filed an RTI request to inquire about the expenses related to maintaining CM Siddaramaiah's social media accounts. The inquiry was prompted after hearing about the "hefty" costs associated with maintaining CM's social media accounts. This concern arose at a time when "development work had come to a standstill" due to an alleged lack of funds, and the Congress government was reportedly struggling to pay contractors for work in various departments.
Officials from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) confirmed Siddaramaiah's social media expenditure but emphasised that the amount was significantly lower than the over Rs 2 crore per month that previous Chief Ministers had spent on similar activities.
Team of 35 people to handle accounts
The Karnataka State Marketing Communication and Advertising Limited (MCA) provided information revealing that from October 25 last year to March 2024, the CMO has spent approximately Rs 3 crore on social media management. According to the RTI response, the CMO spends around Rs 53.9 lakh per month, which includes an 18 per cent GST. The payment is made to a company called Policy Front, which manages Siddaramaiah's social media accounts with a team of about 35 people.
