On June 15, 2006 Pratapsingh Rane and the Chief Secretary together spent Rs 5,30,980 dining out delegates of a UN body. There goes your hard-earned money! But while your concerns are over the perennial shortage of potable water, the garbage problem, your politician's top concerns are expensive eating out habits, holidaying abroad. So you wonder if your nightmare over good governance is ever going to end.
Making a Meal of it
They can't wait to live it up. Hardly had he taken over his ministry, Vishwajit Rane went gastronomic. He threw a dinner, guess where, at the Cidade de Goa for the advisory council on October 20, 2007. Cost: Rs 84,788. That was his first. Other extravagant dinners will follow, surely.
On June 22, 2006 JP Singh hosted a Rs 52,594 lunch on board the Noah's Ark for the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment while Pratapsing Rane gave them a Rs 55,615 dinner at his favourite Cidade de Goa and Subhash Shirodkar spent Rs 1,07,682 on dinner the previous night also on board Noah's Ark. On June 15, 2006 while Rane was dining out with delegates of the UN Development Programme and Planning Commission members at a cost of Rs 4,77,980, Singh was hosting a Rs 52,995 dinner for the Planning Commission members. That's Rs 5,30,975 worth of food and booze in one night! And, you thought the UN and Planning Commission were meant to do you good. Now, you could be within your rights to think they actually did you in - of your hard-earned money. Add that, to the December 23, 2006 Singh's Rs 1,28,040 Cidade dinner hosted for the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and you wonder if your nightmare over good governance is ever going to end.
But while your concerns are over the perennial shortage of potable water, the garbage problem, your politician's (mis)understanding of the word development, their expensive eating out habits, holidaying abroad; turns out your government's top officials too have a thing for the good life.
JP Singh, Chief Secretary
31.01.06 dinner for SK Jain, secy Labour at Hotel Mariott Rs 35,293 +3,713 gift.
10.02.06 lunch for Sanjay, jt secy. Civil Aviation at Mandovi Rs 3,555.
10.02.06 dinner for Sanjay Narayan at Goa Mariott Rs 17,277.
06.03.06 lunch for JP Singh, addl. secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment at Majestic Rs 4,715.
23.03.06 dinner for NDC director general-no details.
25.03.06 dinner for advisor (Montek Singh Ahluwalia) to Dy. Chairman, Planning Commission at Goa Marriott Rs 17,927.
25.03.06 dinner for Chief Conservator of Forest at Cidade de Goa Rs 52,186+3,380 gift.
03.04.06 dinner for IAS probationers at Cidade Rs 26,584.
03.05.06 dinner for Julio Ribeiro at Goa Marriott Rs 61,672.
05.05.06 dinner for Manbir Singh, ambassador to Iran at Delhi Darbar Rs 15,750.
02.06.06 dinner for Amit Yadav, commissioner, Commercial Taxes at Cidade de Goa Rs 38,104+1,352 gift.
14.06.06 dinner for Planning Commission members at Noah's Ark Rs 52,995.
22.06.06 lunch for Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice & Empowerment at Noah's Ark Rs 52,594.
26.06.06 dinner for Chairman, NHAI at Sweet Chilly Rs 3,500+1,352 gift.
04.08.06 dinner for Bobby Bedi (film producer) at Delhi Darbar Rs 15,188.
24.08.06 dinner for Western Zonal Council at Cidade de Goa Rs 92,781.
17.09.06 dinner for JK Dadoo at Goa Marriott Rs 67,586+2,704.
01.10.06 dinner for Neeraj Kumar, DGP at Cidade Rs 56,915.
13.10.06 dinner for addl. secy. & financial advisor, Ministry of Steel at Sweet Chilly Rs 11,404+1,352 gift.
18.10.06 dinner for addl. secy, Ministry of Panchayati Raj at Goa Marriott Rs 41,490.
19.09.06 dinner for home secy, GoI at Goa Marriott Rs 1,31,456.
02.11.06 dinner for 11th Rajya Sainik board at Cidade Goa Rs 24,010.
10.11.06 lunch for selection committee, DPSC at Goa Marriott Rs 10,570.
14.12.06 dinner jt. secy, Ministry of Environment & Forests at Majestic Rs 9,168.
23.12.06 dinner for Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs at Cidade de Goa Rs 1,28,040.
15.01.07 dinner for trainee officers, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy at Goa Marriott Rs 28,905.
19.01.07 dinner for member, National Commission for ST at Cidade de Goa Rs 45,943.
12.03.07 lunch for H. Arakawa at Goa Marriott Rs 15,082.
24.03.07 dinner for visiting IAS officers at Cidade de Goa Rs 34,986.
04.06.07 dinner for IBIC at Goa Marriott Rs 31,875.
11.04.07 farewell dinner for law secy, UK Bakre at FABR Rs 52,347+3,713 gift.
27.04.07 dinner for UK Worah, Amjad Tak at FABR Rs 66,411.
05.07.07 dinner for one at Goa Marriott Rs 20,189.
31.08.07 dinner for Ashok Pradhan, IAS, GOI at Goa Marriott Rs 3,206.
08.09.07 dinner for Pravin Kumar, IAS at Goa Marriott Rs 9,047.
19.09.07 lunch for Autonomous Management Committee at Goa Marriott Rs 14,211.
25.09.07 lunch for Santosh Vaidya, IAS, resident commissioner at Goa Marriott Rs 23,535+1,352 gift.
11.10.07 lunch for special invitees at O 'Coqueiro bill awaited.
10.08.07 lunch for Sanat Kaul, MD, Delhi TTDC at Goa Marriott Rs 5,850.
10.11.07 dinner for teachers, prominent citizens at Goa Marriott Rs 80,450.
11.10.07 lunch for special invitees and board members at O 'Coqueiro Rs 34,643.
17.12.07 lunch for GPSC at Goa Marriott Rs 36,276.
17.12.07 lunch for UPSC delegation on Bharat Darshan at Goa Marriott Rs 13,796.
17.12.07 dinner for IAS probationers on Bharat Darshan at Goa Marriott Rs 22,479.
11.11.07 dinner for Indo Bhutan border management team at Cidade Rs 54,528.
19.11.07 dinner for secy, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, GoI at Cidade Rs 11,613.
11.12.07 dinner for G. Gupt, IAS and Veenu Bansal, IPS at Cidade Rs 46,030+4,065.
07.01.08 dinner for IAS officer of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy at Goa Marriott Rs 17,497.
The government's food bill (and growing) so far:
Digambar Kamat Rs 36,47,744
Pratapsing Rane Rs 39,72,941
Manohar Parrikar Rs 12,05,515
J. P. Singh Rs 16,61,290
Total Rs 1,04,87,490
