The Congress government in Karnataka has decided to accelerate its spending further with new wheels for new ministers.
The government will buy 33 Toyota Innova Hycross hybrid SUVs - one for each of the 33 ministers, allocating a budget of Rs 9.9 crore.
In order to facilitate this direct purchase, they have granted a 4(G) exemption under the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act, which provides for contracts to be awarded without floating tenders.
There has been criticism from some quarters for spending such a huge sum on the high-end SUVs for the new ministers. The on-road price of the Innova Hycross top trim in Bengaluru is approximately Rs 39 lakh.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has defended the government's move to buy the SUVs.
"What's wrong? Safety of ministers is important as they too have to travel long distances. In fact, unlike other states, we have no chartered flights and helicopters. Even now, I landed in a regular, commercial flight," Mr Shivakumar said.
The announcement of the big-ticket vehicle purchase also comes two days after the Congress government launched its most expensive scheme in Karnataka - the Gruha Lakshmi scheme.
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The state government has set aside Rs 17,500 crore this fiscal to fund the scheme that was promised during the election campaign.
The Opposition said their criticism of the SUV shopping move is directed at funds for development work being deployed for other uses.
"The Congress is only talking about guarantees. There is no money for development work. Where is the money for the cars?" BJP MLC C Narayanaswamy said.
In 2013, the Congress allotted Rs 5 crore to buy new cars for ministers. This year, the Congress government has earmarked over Rs 50,000 crore for its social welfare guarantees; Rs 10 crore for the cars forms .02 per cent of that.
However, the Congress ministers, for now, are all set to enjoy a swanky ride for sure.
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