Only Rs. 11 mn spent on Independence Day celebration: President's Office

• Published date: 07 February 2023
• Publication title: Daily Mirror

Disclosing the expenses of the Independence Day celebration, the President's Office said the government spent only Rs. 11 million on the 75th National Independence Day celebrations this year.

The President's Media Division (PMD) issuing a statement on false news circulating on social media said the government has spent only Rs.11,130,011.29 on the 75th National Independence Day celebrations this year.

'Allocating provisions for the official state ceremony of the National Independence Day celebration is also a common practice,and that the amount spent on the official state ceremony of the 75th National Independence Day celebration held this year was significantly lesser than the estimated amount,' the PMD said.

The PMD said the Presidential Secretariat has focussed its attention on the false news circulating on social media regarding the cost of the 75th Independence Day official state event.

'The spread of misinformation is clearly another extension of the narrow political agenda that forced people to boycott the official state celebration of independence due to the economic crisis.

Clearly, their aim is to mislead the people through false information, make the people hate the government and create unease to fulfil their petty political interests.

Therefore, they have even attempted to convince the people that even providing mobile toilet facilities during the Independence Day celebration was a mistake.

However, it should be emphasized that high-ranking foreign diplomats were invited to this celebration including the Japanese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Takei Shunsuke, Bhutan's Minister of Education and Skill Development Jai Bir Rai, Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr A.K. Abdul Momen, Pakistan's Minister of State for External Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, Indian Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan, Foreign Minister of Nepal Dr Bimala Rai Paudyal and...