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Did India Spend Rs 4100 Crore On G20? Analysing The G20 Cost Controversy

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Did India Spend Rs 4100 Crore On G20? Analysing The G20 Cost Controversy

Did India Spend Rs 4100 Crore On G20? Analysing The G20 Cost Controversy (Image:twitter.com/g20org)

The recent allegations by the Congress and TNC leaders on the total expenditure of the India hosted 18th edition of G20 Summit in Delhi has stirred up another controversy in the political circles all over the nation.

The 2023 G20 under the presidency of India marked the country”s growth and development in various sectors around the global map and made the nation a new international power centre. Several, including the member nations also applauded for India”s achievement in the global diplomatic adventure.

But as soon as the Summit wrapped up, the doubts on the expense of the extensive preparations has also started rising from different corners.

What happened so far?

Allegation by Trinamool leader Saket Gokhale

It was the Trinamool Congress leader and MP Saket Gokhale who came first casting doubts on the transparency of the allocated budget and the spending of G20.

According to Mr Gokhale, the original budget allocated for 2023 G20 was Rs 999 crores and the Government spend 300% more of it, that is around Ra 4,100 crores. He also accused the government that they have boosted the spending as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”s PR works ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“Modi Govt spent a whopping 300% more on G20 than the funds allocated in budget”, he said on Monday through his X (formerly Twitter) handle.

“Why shouldn”t BJP be made to pay this extra ₹3110 cr since it was clearly non-essential spending purely for Modi”s self-advertisement & personal PR for 2024 elections?”, he added then.

Congress joins Mr Gokhale”s argument

Soon after Mr Gokhale”s post, Congress party also took the issue and blamed PM Modi that he wasted people”s hard earned Rs 4100 crore in the name of G20 only to polish Modi”s image.

“PM Modi spent extra money to put up his posters ahead of the Lok Sabha election, to shine his image. Covering up the poor of the city, PM Modi made elaborate arrangements for the guests including the silver and gold-plated tableware”, said the Congress on Monday.

Press Information Bureau (PIB) with a clarification

Noticing the arguments, the government”s fact-checking agency from the Press Information Bureau (PIB) countered the allegations with an X post on Monday.

PIB declared the claims put forward by the Congress and the Trinamool leader are “misleading”, and further explained that the amount of expenditure quoted “is majorly towards permanent asset creation by ITPO & other infrastructure development which is not limited to hosting G20 Summit alone”.

Mr Gokhale countering PIB

Countering the BJP arguments, Mr Gokhale on Tuesday took his X and said that the “Modi Govt is now covering up & saying some was for “permanent assets” & doesn”t count as G20 expenditure”.

“Govt of India had budgeted ₹900 cr for G20 Summit. But Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi disclosed in a tweet that ₹4100 cr had been spent. That”s 300% MORE than the budgeted amount”, he said in a new statement.

“Modi Govt is now covering up & saying some was for “permanent assets” & doesn”t count as G20 expenditure”, he added.

According to him, during the Commonwealth Games in 2010 also several permanent infrastructures were created in Delhi by the then UPA government and they are still in use. Mr Gokhale accused BJP which attacked the government then over such expenditures. “And the same party is now using excuses to justify 300% extra expenditure purely for Modi”s election PR”, he stated.

To substantiate his arguments Mr Gokhale on Wednesday took the Union Minister of State for External Affairs & Culture Meenakshi Lekhi”s X post from September 5, and stated that the figure of Rs 4100 crore has came from the ministers tweet.

What Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi said then?

Ms Lekhi on September 4 tweeted a detailed breakdown of the expenses incurred during “City improvement in the area primarily used by G20 delegates”. And according to her the sum total of all the heads, cross-verifying the document she shared is above Rs 4100 crores.

However, the exact figures of the G20 Summit’s costs are not yet publicly released.

Topics
G20 G20 India g20 india presidency INDIA narendra modi pm modi Saket Gokhale Timeline Breaking TNC trinamool

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