Useless Expenditure of Rs. 5.76 crore towards Government of Odisha advertisement

 

Useless Expenditure of Rs. 5.76  crore  towards  Government of Odisha   advertisement, AG Audit Report

·         Undue favour shown private TV channels violating DAVP guidelines and SC order.

·         No guideline policy  for  issue  of advertisement  was prepared  by State Govt.   for unknown period  with  ulterior motive  to give maximum benefit  to TV channels.

·         Kalinga TV stands  as biggest  beneficiary  of   policy of favouratism   of Nabin Patnaik Govt.

·         This is , no doubt  huge loss  to state exchequer .

·         Price  offered to  TV channels  of Odisha  is  even higher  that that  of  National channels.

 

Prior  to General Election-2020,  Govt. of Odisha  adopted  multi-prone  and multi-faceted   strategy  to use  media  in its  favour  to propagate  so-called  scheme  and programme  of Govt. and highlight image  of Chief Minister  as clean, non-corrupt and best administrator  in the  country   for  mobilizing  people to vote  for  BJD. Huge  amount  of fund  was  mindlessly  sanctioned  to Media   in form of  granting advertisement to keep  them satisfied   and work  for rulling  party. CAG Audit Report has brought it  to the limelight in the state.

 Govt. of Odisha  in Information and Public Relation Department issued  work order to different private TV channels  and commercial TV  channels including Doordarshan Kendra (DDK)  for advertisement of 20 Govt. programme / schemes  during  2016-19 ( Sept. 2018) for  telecast of spot ranged from 30 to 50 seconds as  per schedule  of telecast  in their TV channels and may raise  bill  on negotiated  rates less  discount admissible for payments. Accordingly, the TV channels including DDK  claimed  bills Rs. 7.25, 97,060.00 for  the advertised  development programme. Out of total claimed amount 6,85, 16,238.00 was paid by the department  and Rs.40,80,822.00 is yet  to be  paid to TV channels.

 In this context, AG Audit observed  that  private TV channels ( including news  and General Entertainment  channels)  had claimed bill  of  Rs. 6,98, 08,684.00 towards advertisement as per their negotiated price of telecast cost /spot ( “10 second”). On comparing the list of private TV channels empaneled with DAVP, it was found that DAVP has empanelled the news and GEC as per their time band. For news channel, there are five-time bands and for GEC channel, there are six-time bands. Price for advertisement of each time band   was varying from one other and maximum price   for advertisement of every TV channel was fixed as per their prime time.

 It was  noticed that  I and PR Dept. negotiated  rate  of TV channels  irrespective  of  their time band . Further it was found that  out of total private channels which had advertised  Odisha  Govt. development programme , there were  11 TV channels which were  also  empaneled  with DAVP   to advertise GOI advertisement at rates fixed by DAVP. The  details is as follows.

 Statement  showing comparison of negotiated rate of private TV channels  with DAVP rate

Name  of TV channels	Rate negotiated  by I and PR  per 10 second /spot   for the year  2016-17  & 2017-18	Rate  negotiated  by the DAVP  per  10 seconds ( Prime time)	Audit  remarks  (  rate negotiated  by the  I and PR  is higher than DAVP
Kalinga TV	3200	314	10  times
Prathana  TV channel	2300	625	3.68 times
Tarang TV channel	5200	3304	1.57  times
Zee Kalinga TV channel	3200	367	8.72 times
Kanak News	3000	400	7.5 times
MBC TV	2700	331	8.15 times
O TV	5000	1197	4.17  times
News 7	3200	503	6.36  times
Color Odisha	3000	897	3.34  times
Alankara TV	1800	479	3.76 TIMES
E TV News Odisha	3000	356	8.43 times

 Audit also observed  that  though Department prepared  a Draft policy /guideline  for empanelment  of  media houses  and fixation of rate as per  time band taking into account the weightage  of technical aspects  of each TV channel , but  the  Director, I and PR  has not  taken any steps  for approval of the same. Instead negotiated  the price  on the rate offered by the channels. After  comparing DAVP prime time cost  of the advertisement of private TV channels with negotiated rate of the department , it was  found that Rs. 5,75, 99,309.00 could have been avoided by  the department.

 It is worthwhile  to mention here that India’s  top news channel  and GEC such as “ Aaj  Tak”,  “Z news “, “ India TV” , News18 India , Tarang  etc. were empaneled with DAVP and their  price  per 10 seconds was fixed as per  the  time band which ranged  between Rs. 647.00  to Rs.3304.00 per 10 seconds . It clearly  indicates that that  the rate  offered  by private TV channels were  also three times higher  than the national news  channels   and the  department  without considering  the aforesaid aspects, negotiated rate  and given  undue  financial   advantage   to private TV channels.  

 In the absence of any guideline / policy , the work orders  were  issued  to private TV channels arbitrarily  mentioning in almost  every file , as desired  by higher authority without  making  it clear  “on whose order “  and “ on what basis” . the orders  were  issued to  private  TV channels for  advertisement  of Govt. programme  ignoring ratings of the  channel which defeated  the very purpose of  spending the  public money  judiciously and to ensure  transparency  in selection of  agencies  for Government advertisement.  

 It deserves to mention here that  the  Department  decided to formulate  guideline/policy  on regulation of electronics media and Web Media separately  for delivery  of advertisement message  to the widest  possible messages in a cost  effective manner. A committee was formed in Dec. 15  under  chairmanship  of Director, I and PR Dept.  and meeting was held on 18^th April, 2016  in which it was decided to  frame  a policy in line with  guideline/ policy  of  DAVP.  A draft  guideline policy  was prepared  for approval of the  Govt. However it was never approved.

 Pradip Pradhan

M-9937843482

Date- 26.5.21

Note on Supreme Court Vacation Leave

 Note on Supreme Court  Vacation Leave

( Central  Information Commission  disposed  the  case  on 10.2.2016)

Disposing of an appeal filed by RTI Activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal, Chief Information Commissioner Radha Krishna Mathur noted that both, the Department of Justice and the Supreme Court CPIO does not hold record of the tradition of summer vacations in the Supreme Court. The appellant, Mr. Agrawal had sought complete information, together with documents related to different Supreme Court holidays and vacations, on account of Holi, Dussehra, Diwali, Christmas, etc. The CPIO had submitted that Supreme Court holidays and vacations are government by Supreme Court Rules, 1966, and the same are available on the Supreme Court website. He submitted that while they do not have record as to the tradition of summer leave, etc., there are 193 working days in total. He further stated that the query submitted by the applicant was in the nature of seeking opinion or comment of the CPIO, which was claimed to be beyond the scope of the provisions of the RTI Act, 2005. The CIC noted that since the matter was transferred by the Department of Justice to the Supreme Court of India, it shows that they both don’t have any record regarding vacations. The CCI then noted that since no department was confident about holding authority of such information, it would not be possible to transfer the application to any other public authority. It was hence observed that steps taken in dealing with the RTI application were “satisfactory” and the appeal disposed of. Reacting to the verdict, Mr. Agrawal said in an Email to LiveLaw, “CIC did not find it fit to revert back RTI petition to Department of Justice for tracing origin of long court-vacations which are said to be continued as some British legacy when British judges in India were privileged with such long court-vacations for preventing them from hot Indian weather and also to facilitate them to visit their homeland in England. This costly facility unfortunately continues in free India even after about seven long decades of independence, that too with long pendency of court-cases. Long-pending recommendation of Law Commission for scrapping long court-vacations, are being continuously ignored. Union Ministry of Law & Justice should immediately scarp any privileged vacations for courts ensuring a common pattern of holidays from Supreme Court to lower courts. Instead of closing work at courts altogether for long court-vacations, judges can be given vacations by rotation like exists system for Professors at medical colleges in Delhi government.”

Read more at: http://www.livelaw.in/cic-notes-no-public-authority-holds-record-of-summer-vacations-in-sc-dismisses-appeal/

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Wastage of Rs.2.98 crore for Image Building exercise of Chief Minister, Odisha

 

Wastage of Rs.2.98  crore from State Exchequer  for  Image Building  exercise  of  Chief Minister, Odisha

( AG Audit Report exposed )

Just  prior  to General Election-2019, to  develop clean image  of  Chief Minister , Odisha  Sri Naveen Patnaik was a paramount   task  of  Odisha bureaucracy  as well as  Biju janata Dal.  The   bureaucrats  at the  helm of  affairs  have left  no stone unturned to  glorify  Chief Minister and keep his image  clean  before  public  by way  of  adopting  multiple  strategies  including  release  of advertisements  to Media. The  whole  exercise  was to canvas vote  in the  name  of Chief  Minister. Chief  Minister has been glorified  not  by work  but  by  media-hyped  propaganda funded  immensely  from  state  exchequer.  

 On 19.3.19,  the   Audit  Inspection  Report   of  office  of Accountant General , Odisha  presented  to  Department  of I and PR , Govt. of Odisha   exposed   the wasteful  expenditure Rs. 2.98  crore for “advertisement  of Chief Minister  as Best administrator”.

 In the  month of August, 2017, the Information and  Public Relation Department  placed  work order  to 13  Private TV Channels  and four Radio  Channels for  wide  publicity  of Hon’ble Chief Minister , Odisha being  felicitated as  the Best  Administrator by  Outlook  on 19^th August ,2017.  From 21.8.2017  to  25.8.2017. in prime time  as per  schedule. Accordingly  13 TV Channels  and 4 Radio Channels  telecasted / broadcasted  the spot/message  and placed  the  bill Rs.68,48,770.00. to the  Department  which was  sanctioned  in February, 2018.

 Similarly, it was  also noticed  that one  colour  advertisement was published on 20^th august 2017 with  caption “ Our Dear CM awarded best Administrator  of the  Country”  and on 23 January ,2018 with  Caption “ India’s Adarsh Mukhyamantri  Naveen Patnaik”  was  published  in all  Odia  and English dailies  and  periodicals  after  incurring an expenditure  of Rs. 2.29  crore.

 AG  Audit  observed  that the news  was  already an event  in almost  every  print media , news and radi channel  and Hon’ble  Supreme Court  clearly  mentioned  that no  public money  can be  spent  on such advertisements  which  is  fraught  to risk  to use  of  public funds  for  advertising  by  public authorities to project  particular  personality , parties  or  government without  any  attendant  public interest.  The  Department  spent Rs. 2.98  crore to project  particular  personality violating  the  judgment  of  Hon’ble Supreme Court 2015 .

 In reply  to AG  Report,  the  Deputy  Secretary, I and PR Dept. stated  in January, 2019  that  as per decision of higher authorities  and keeping in view of government advertisement  policy , publicity  requirements ,  important  of the content as well as circulation of the news paper , advertisement  has been released   to the news paper  for circulation  under approval of the  competent  authority.

 The  reply  was  not  acceptable  to AG  as the  post/ designation  of the higher  authorities or  competent  authority  on whose  decision/ approval  such advertisement  incurring  high  expenditure  was published violating  the  decision of the  Supreme Court  were  not  spelt out.  Further  in stead  of  incurring  expenditure  Rs. 2.98  crore for  popularization of CM , the  amount  could have been utilized  for showcasing  different welfare  scheme  of the Government .

 Pradip Pradhan

M-9937843482

Date- 20.5.21