Karnataka CM spends Rs 54 lakh a month on social media accounts, reveals RTI reply

Nearly Rs 54 lakh is spent every month to maintain Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s social media accounts, both official and personal, according to an RTI reply.

RTI activist Marlinga Gowda Mali Patil said he filed his plea after he heard of the “hefty” costs at a time when "development work had come to a standstill" due to a lack of funds in the state.

The Congress government struggled to pay contractors for work in various departments, media reports quoted him as saying.

Siddaramaiah spends less

While confirming the expenditure, Karnataka officials said what Siddaramaiah spent was less than the more than Rs 2 crore previous chief ministers had coughed out.

According to the Karnataka State Marketing Communication and Advertising Ltd, a government entity, the chief minister’s office spent close to Rs 3 crore from October 25 last year to March 2024. This works out to around Rs 53.9 lakh a month, including GST.

The payments were made to The Policy Front, a company that handles Siddaramaiah's accounts with a dedicated team of around 35.