Karnataka govt allocates Rs 7.2 crore to manage social media for civic agencies

Bengaluru: The Congress-led Karnataka government has allocated Rs 7.2 crore for managing the social media accounts of five Bengaluru agencies — BBMP, BDA, BMRCL, BWSSB, and BMRDA (Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority) — over a one-year period.

The Finance Department approved the proposal last month.

Under this plan, the government will pay Rs 60 lakh per month to Karnataka State Marketing Communication & Advertising Limited (KSMCA), which has engaged a private agency to execute the project, officials said.

In addition to managing updates related to projects under these organisations, which falls under Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's purview, the private agency has been tasked with promoting the government’s five guarantee schemes. Notably, some of these agencies already have in-house teams managing their social media accounts.

Tender process bypassed

The government bypassed the standard tendering process by invoking Section 4(G) of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act, 1999, to authorise the Department of Information and Public Relations to directly engage the service provider.

This decision has raised concerns about the cost to the state exchequer, particularly given the presence of existing social media teams within some of the organisations.