Tea, samosas, gulab jamuns make UP exchequer poorer by ₹9 cr

Minister of State (Independent Charge) Arun Kumar Kori was on the top of the list to have spent ₹22,93,800 during her four years as Social Welfare minister PWD Minister Shivpal Yadav has spent nothing on refreshments, as per the data However, Samajwadi party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary defended the ministers

To be precise, ₹8,78,12,474 was splurged over snacks between March 15, 2012 when the Akhilesh Yadav government took oath and March 15, 2016, when it completed four years.

The data was disclosed by none other than the Chief Minister himself in the state Assembly.

Minister of State (Independent Charge) Arun Kumar Kori was on the top of the list to have spent ₹22,93,800 during her four years as Social Welfare minister, followed by Urban Development Minister Mohammad Azam Khan who spent ₹22,86,620.

Minister for Child Development and Nutrition, Primary Education, Kailash Chaurasia finished a close third spending ₹22,85,900.

Interestingly, PWD Minister Shivpal Yadav has spent nothing on refreshments, as per the data.

Other senior ministers who spent over ₹21 lakh on refreshments are Ram Karan Arya, Sports and Youth Welfare Minister and Jagdish Sonkar, Land Development and Water Resources Minister.

The Chief Minister, however, clarified that as per rule, a minister can spend ₹2,500 per day on refreshments within the state and ₹3,000 daily outside the state for performing his/her duties.

Former UP minister Shiv Kumar Beria, who was sacked on October 2015 had spent ₹21,93,900 during his tenure as minister.

Minister of State for Women Welfare (Independent charge) Sadab Fatima spent ₹72,500 in her short term of one year.

Dubbing it as "loot of public money", BJP spokesman Harishchand Srivastav said that while the state government has failed on health, education and welfare programmes, its ministers were spending lavishly to entertain their guests at the cost of the state exchequer.

Samajwadi party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary defended the ministers.

"This money is used for official meetings and sometimes on people who come from the ministers' constituencies in large numbers. This is just a courtesy the ministers’ staff follows" he said.