Govt tells Parliament Rs 122.87 crore spent on Ambedkar Memorial in Delhi
The Centre spent Rs 122.87 crore on the establishment of the Ambedkar Memorial in Delhi in 2018, the government informed Parliament on Monday, July 3.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, responding to a query in the Lok Sabha on details of statues and memorials established by the government or government-owned undertakings and the total amount spent on their construction and maintenance over the last ten years, said his ministry had not established any statues or memorials itself.
"The Ministry of Culture has not established statues and memorials. Details of other statues and memorials established through the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs are attached as annexure-I," he said.
According to the data in annexure-I, shared by the ministry, Rs 122.87 crore was spent on the Ambedkar Memorial in Delhi (2018); Rs 59 crore on the National Dandi Memorial Complex at Dandi in Navsari district, Gujarat (2019); and Rs 41.34 crore on a memorial to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu (2017-18).
The data also showed Rs 7.89 lakh was spent on a platform for a statue of B R Ambedkar at Jaisalmer House, New Delhi (2024); Rs 14.56 lakh on a statue of Ambedkar in the Supreme Court premises; and Rs 1.95 lakh on a statue of Ved Vyas at the NCERT campus in Delhi's Hauz Khas.
The query was raised by Rajkumar Roat, a Bharat Adivasi Party MP from Rajasthan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Dr Ambedkar National Memorial (DANM) at 26, Alipore Road, Delhi — the site of Ambedkar's Mahaparinirvana — on April 13, 2018. The memorial is dedicated to the life and contributions of Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Constitution of India.
Its foundation stone was laid by the prime minister on March 21, 2016, the government had said in an earlier official statement. The memorial spans approximately 7,400 square meters and was built at a cost of Rs 100 crore, according to the government's earlier statement.
Asked whether the government is aware that citizens have "raised objections and complaints" over large sums being spent on statues and memorials despite shortages of basic amenities such as education, health, drinking water and roads in various parts of the country, Shekhawat said, "No such representations/grievances received in Ministry of Culture."
Asked whether the government "proposes to enforce any clear policy, maximum expenditure limit and transparent acceptance procedure" for the construction of statues and memorials using public funds, the minister said, "The construction of statues and memorials with public funds, wherever undertaken, is governed by the extant policies, rules, guidelines and financial procedures applicable to the concerned ministry/department/organisation."
(With inputs from PTI