Central govt clueless of amount spend on Gandhi Jayanti in foreign countries

• Central govt clueless of amount spend on Gandhi Jayanti in foreign countries

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-10-10/lucknow/42899634_1_rti-query-gandhi-jayanti-the-mea

Isha Jain, TNN Oct 10, 2013, 03.30PM IST

Tags:

• RTI query|
• Gandhi Jayanti celebrations in foreign countries|
• gandhi jayanti

LUCKNOW: Neither the Union Ministry of Culture nor ministry of external affairs is aware of the expenditure incurred on Gandhi Jayanti celebrations in foreign countries after India got independence.

In an RTI response to a Lucknow-based class VII student, Aishwarya Parashar, the MEA said they do not have any information on the above subject. However, there is a possibility that some information may be available with the Indian Missions/Posts abroad. The MEA asked the applicant to approach the public information officers of the concerned Indian embassies to obtain the required information.

The student had filed an application at the PMO from where it was transferred to the ministry of culture. The ministry of culture said that they have no information on this and forwarded the application to the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti and the Union ministry of external affairs. Replying to the RTI query, officials at Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti said they have not spent a single penny towards Gandhi Jayanti in any of the foreign countries.

Upset with the answer, Aishwarya then wrote to the Prime Minister who also heads the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti saying that on one hand October 2 is declared as a national holiday together with August 15 - the Independence Day and January 26 - the Republic Day, and on the other, central government has made no effort in making Gandhi Jayanti an international event.

According to the MEA, Aishwarya has not filed a RTI application but has made a submission addressed to the Prime Minister. The MEA, in its reply, suggested Aishwarya to make an appeal with the director and appellate authority, Rajesh Vaishnaw for further information. The government spends good amount for Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations abroad. They even set aside funds to set up recreational clubs abroad. The birthday of the Father of the Nation should be celebrated across the globe," said Aishwarya.

Aishwarya's patriotic zeal has forced her to file an RTI petition seeking to know the action taken on her plea by the Prime Minister. The 11-year-old girl had earlier stumped the PMO office with her RTI query on when and by what orders was the title of 'Father of the Nation' conferred on Mahatma Gandhi.