Odisha CMO spent whopping Rs 2 crore on social media

Bhubaneswar: At a time when Odisha seems to be grappling with rising debt burden, the State government seems to be less bothered as it is spending lavishly on social media.

According to a startling revelation by Information and Technology Minister Tusharkanti Behera, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has so far spent a whopping Rs 2 crore for its Social Media Cell.

Responding to a question of MLA Shankar Oram in Odisha Assembly, Behera said M\S CSM Technology Pvt Ltd was appointed as consultant for the social media cell of CMO and the company has been paid over Rs 1.83 crore.

Similarly, Odisha Computer Applications Centre (OCAC) has also roped in several private players as consultants for various e-governance projects under the State Information and Technology department. Payment worth lakhs of rupees have been made to CSMTechnology Pvt Ltd, Wipro Limited and others, informed Behera.