Kerala is reeling under the worst drought conditions after years. Drinking water, in many areas, has to be supplied by bowsers to satisfy the needs of the people. Power outages, to the tune of about six to seven hours, have become a routine happening as water levels in the reservoirs of the hydel projects have dipped to alarmingly low levels. And there have been losses in the agricultural sector thanks to the unprecedented heat.
It's in the midst of these woes that the agricultural department has given each of the 141 MLAs, of the state's Legislative Assembly, a special gift on the occasion of Vishu - fondly termed as 'Vishu Kaineetam' - a 22 inch, LCD television set of a leading brand. The expenditure incurred has been to the tune of Rs.16.92 lakhs @ Rs.12,000/- per piece!
When grilled, the agriculture minister has quoted precedence and added that the gifts have been purchased using the funds of the public sector enterprises under his department. He, further, stated that the sets were bought cheap as the MRP actually was @ Rs.15,000/- Was he hinting that the money, from this source was meant to be squandered away over such mindless expenditure, I wonder? And the beauty about the episode is that the members of the opposition also do not see anything wrong with it, though the leader of the opposition has since returned his gift, citing personal reasons, without taking a stand on the issue!
I suppose that the ruling and the opposition groups do not see eye to eye only on matters concerning governance. Sloth and misusing funds be damned!
Tailpiece.
This Vishu shall always be remembered for the largesse that our lawmakers had received when the state was reeling under difficult conditions!!
It's in the midst of these woes that the agricultural department has given each of the 141 MLAs, of the state's Legislative Assembly, a special gift on the occasion of Vishu - fondly termed as 'Vishu Kaineetam' - a 22 inch, LCD television set of a leading brand. The expenditure incurred has been to the tune of Rs.16.92 lakhs @ Rs.12,000/- per piece!
When grilled, the agriculture minister has quoted precedence and added that the gifts have been purchased using the funds of the public sector enterprises under his department. He, further, stated that the sets were bought cheap as the MRP actually was @ Rs.15,000/- Was he hinting that the money, from this source was meant to be squandered away over such mindless expenditure, I wonder? And the beauty about the episode is that the members of the opposition also do not see anything wrong with it, though the leader of the opposition has since returned his gift, citing personal reasons, without taking a stand on the issue!
I suppose that the ruling and the opposition groups do not see eye to eye only on matters concerning governance. Sloth and misusing funds be damned!
Tailpiece.
This Vishu shall always be remembered for the largesse that our lawmakers had received when the state was reeling under difficult conditions!!
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