AMC to Spend Crores on Laptops, Printers, Phones for Corporators
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Even as citizens continue to struggle with civic issues across Ahmedabad, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is set to approve a proposal that will increase spending on electronic gadgets for corporators. The proposal, scheduled to be placed before the Standing Committee on Thursday, seeks higher reimbursement limits for laptops, printers and mobile phones for elected representatives.
Under the proposal, all 192 corporators will be eligible for reimbursement of up to ₹1 lakh for purchasing a laptop and printer, up from the existing ₹90,000. The revision will cost the civic body ₹1.92 crore.
According to AMC officials, corporators will have to purchase the laptop and printer at their own expense and later claim reimbursement after submitting the bills.
Mobile Reimbursement Also Increased
The proposal also increases the reimbursement limit for mobile phones.
- Corporators: Eligible for ₹17,000 every two-and-a-half years, up from ₹12,000, resulting in an estimated expenditure of ₹31.96 lakh.
- Deputy Mayor, Standing Committee Chairman, Leader of the Ruling Party, Leader of the Opposition and party whips: Eligible for reimbursement of ₹40,000 every two-and-a-half years, up from ₹30,000.
Officials will also continue to receive reimbursement ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹26,000 every two-and-a-half years, depending on their category.
More Than Half of Corporators Have Studied Up to Class 12 or Less
According to educational details of elected representatives, 104 of Ahmedabad's 192 corporators have studied up to Class 12 or below. The figures have raised questions over the effective utilisation of the gadgets, particularly when many representatives reportedly rely on staff or others for digital tasks.
Smilar Scheme Faced Criticism in Previous Term
A similar reimbursement scheme was introduced during the previous term with the stated objective of promoting digital governance and reducing paperwork. However, despite the expenditure, many corporators reportedly continued to submit handwritten applications instead of using digital communication.
The earlier scheme had also drawn criticism after reports suggested that, in some cases, the laptops were being used by family members rather than for official work.
The revised proposal will be placed before the Standing Committee for approval on Thursday.
