Rajya Sabha Television today rejected as "baseless" allegations that it has spent Rs 1,700 crore in four years.
"It is categorically stated that the total expenditure was only Rs 146.7 crore in the said four years, i.E. 2010-2014, inclusive of salaries, rentals, capital cost and operational expenses. The figure of Rs 1700 crore is only a figment of imagination," it said in a release.
On the CAG report, its CEO Gurdeep Sappal said, "CAG has not published or tabled any report against RSTV."
He said, during the annual audit done by the Director General of Audit (Central Expenditure) for Rajya Sabha secretariat, including RSTV, some draft observations were made, which have been "distorted".
The release further said that the Finance Ministry has never sent any note expressing displeasure regarding RSTV. "The budget of RSTV was not curtailed under austerity measures and the channel has always operated within its sanctioned budget," it said.
The channel also claimed that the viewership of its YouTube channel was over 12 lakh per month and a cumulative viewership of nearly 1.4 crore.
"RSTV has developed as a balanced and independent media organisation, adhering to highest standards of journalistic ethics," Sappal said, adding its programmes have received critical acclaim and are always open for public scrutiny.
