Misleading Reporting Regarding Housing Dues of Ministers

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs clarifies that the demands for dues on account of some ministries’ outstanding dues of their government accommodation are raised on quarterly basis and are settled regularly.

This refers to a news item published in newspapers today (May 20, 2019) based on information sought under RTI from the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs stating that some of the Ministers have not cleared their outstanding dues on account of their government accommodation. The newspaper has mentioned that dues ranging from Rs.50,000 to Rs.3 lakh are outstanding against the Ministers.

The raising of demands for dues on account of use of furniture etc. in official accommodation provided to the Ministers/ MPs is a continuous process. The report in media regarding outstanding dues pertained to information given by the Directorate of Estates for dues for earlier period upto February, 2019. It has been checked by the Directorate of Estates and all earlier dues have been cleared by the respective Ministers. It is further clarified that the demands for dues are raised on quarterly basis and are settled regularly.