The Punjab government spent over Rs 60 lakh on the swearing-in ceremony of Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who had to resign from the post on Wednesday due to his inability to get elected to the Legislative Assembly within the stipulated period of six months.

In an unprecedented move, the oath-taking ceremony was shifted from the state capital of Chandigarh to Amritsar and the occasion was attended by thousands of Akali supporters and several national leaders.

As per information revealed under the RTI Act, bills worth Rs 59 lakh have already been paid by various government departments. Parvinder Singh Kitna of the Human Empowerment League Punjab (HELP), a Nawan Shahr-based NGO had filed applications under RTI to the Director Punjab Hospitality Department, Public Relation Department and Deputy Commissioner Amritsar to seek information on the expenditure incurred.

The information secured by Kitna from these offices revealed that Rs 50 lakh was sent by the state Government to the district collector of Amritsar to make arrangements for the function. The Hospitality Department revealed that it spent Rs 19.59 lakh, including Rs 10.5 lakh for refreshments for nearly 1,300 VIPs and Rs 9 lakh to provide food for about 60,000 other guests. The Public Relations Department revealed that it had spent Rs 1.45 lakh on the hospitality of journalists.