During question hour, on Tuesday, in the Assembly, former leader of Opposition and Amreli MLA Paresh Dhanani asked about the total expenditure incurred in the last two years for convening the Ranotsav, Patangotsav and Navratri Mahotsav. Interestingly, a Rs 1.6 crore tally was shown towards spendings on festivals during the pandemic.
The question was answered by tourism minister Purnesh Modi. “A total of Rs 27.06 crore. This accounts for accommodation, meals, transport, compensation and other expenses. For out-of-state and foreign guests, another Rs 1.68 crore has been spent,” answered Modi much to the dumbfounded Assembly.
The minister detailed the various heads under which the expenses were incurred. A total of Rs 218.74 lakh was spent on food, accommodation and transportation during the kite festival and Ranotsav in 2019. Similarly, in 2020, 174.98 lakh was spent on food, accommodation and transportation during the Kite Festival and Ranotsav.
During the 2017-18 time frame, a total of Rs 908.81 lakh was spent for Navratri, Rs 817.17 lakh for kite festival and Rs 317.62 lakh for Ranotsav.
In addition, in the last two years, the cost of transportation for the Navratri Festival from 2017 to 2018 was Rs 2.07 lakh and the cost of transportation was Rs 6.93 lakh. Apart from this, from the year 2018 to 2019, the cost of dining and transportation during Navratri was Rs 31.59 lakhs and the transportation cost was pegged at Rs 25.97 lakhs.
