Uttarakhand government allegedly paid Virat Kohli Rs 47.19 lakh from flood relief fund

According to an RTI query, Indian captain Virat Kohli was allegedly paid Rs. 47.19 lakhs by the Uttarakhand government in 2015 from flood relief fund which was granted to Rudraprayag district. Ajaya Rajendra a BJP leader had filed an RTI application and the reply to that application suggested that the amount was paid in June 2015 to Virat Kohli from the funds allocated to the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) of Rudraprayag.

Kohli appeared for a promotional event for the Uttarakhand tourism in 2015 and his payment was made by M/S Kailash Entertainment Private Ltd. In Mumbai. Reports emerged that the funds were kept for reconstruction following the disastrous situation after the Kedarnath floods. Rudraprayag was among the districts which were affected severely during the flood in the Alaknanda Valley in 2013. The money which was splurged includes tax liabilities which was to be borne by the brand ambassador.

Advisor of Chief Minister Harish Rawat, Surendra Agarwal during an interaction with CNN-News 18 told that the transaction involving them and Indian captain Virat Kohli did not violate any norms and regulations. “Everything was done through legal channels. No rules were violated in paying the money to Kohli for an advertisement. Our focus what to make sure the Kedarnath Yatra took place successfully,” he said.

He further said that BJP wasn’t happy with the Kedarnath Yatra taking place successfully so they were raising issues which aren’t really there. Meanwhile, Team India under the captaincy of Virat Kohli ended their unbeaten 19 Test streak after surrendering meekly to Australia in the opening Test of the 4 match Test series losing the match by a convincing margin of 333 runs.

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Steve O’Keefe and captain Steve Smith was the star performers for the visiting team. While the left-arm spinner finished with exceptional match figures of 12/70, Smith scored a terrific century in the 2nd innings which enabled the visitors to set a huge total for India in the 2nd essay.