Spending high as sweets distributed among all employees: NDMC

The New Delhi Municipal Council has said that in view of its centenary celebrations the civic body distributed sweets among all its 22,000 regular and contractual employees during Holi, incurring a bill of nearly Rs 92 lakh, up from previous year's Rs 30.20 lakh.
"We decided that instead of confining the distribution only to the Grade-IV safai karamcharis, we should involve, not just the regular employees but contract workers also... This totalled about 22,000 people," NDMC said in a letter to RTI activist Subhash Agarwal.
The decision to distribute sweets to all employees was taken in the view of NDMC celebrating its centenary year.

According to the letter, sweets were procured from Nathu Sweets at a total cost of Rs 91,95,070 for distribution among all NDMC employees on the occasion of Holi as a "welfare measure".
The previous year, the NDMC had distributed sweets worth Rs 30.20 lakh for its sanitation staff of health department and all the Group D and contractual staff, it said.
The increase in this year's sweets budget was justified by the civic body saying authorities decided that distribution of sweets on the occasion of Holi will not be limited to sanitation staff and would include all its employees.

"In addition, it was also ensured that high quality sweets were ordered, after obtaining quotations with market survey, and also specifically including three herbal colours in every packet. Per packet cost came to Rs 374," it said.

Meanwhile, various NDMC employees unions expressed resentment over media reports on the spending, and said it was for the first time that the civic body distributed sweets to all employees.
"It was a very good gesture on the part of NDMC. We don't see why such a big issue is being made out of this," a union member said.