New Delhi: The Uttarakhand government in 2015 allegedly paid cricketer Virat Kohli Rs 47.19 crore from flood relief fund allocated to Rudraprayag district, an RTI query has revealed.
The reply to the RTI application filed by a BJP leader Ajaya Rajendra showed that the amount was paid in June 2015 from funds allotted to the District Disaster Relief Management Authority (DDMA) of Rudraprayag.
The payment was for the ace cricketer appearing in a promotional for Uttarakhand tourism and was paid by Ms. Kailash Entertainment Private Ltd. Mumbai. The report said it was from funds earmarked for reconstruction in the aftermath of the Kedarnath floods.
Rudraprayag was one of the worst affected districts by the wrath of the flood in the Alaknanda valley in 2013. The money disbursed includes income tax liabilities which were to be borne by the brand ambassador.]
The sixty minute audio-video clip featuring the current Indian cricket captain was later released by state government to promote tourism in the hill state.
When contacted, adviser to Chief Minister Harish Rawat, Surendra Aggarwal, told CNN-News18 that the transaction did not violate any norms.
"Everything was done through legal channels. No rules were violated in paying the money to Kohli for an advertisement. Our focus what to make sure the Kedarnath Yatra took place successfully," he said.
Comments
0 comment