In five financial years since Himanta Biswa Sarma became chief minister of Assam, his government spent Rs 460.82 crore on media and advertising. In the five years before he took office on May 10, 2021, the state spent Rs 145.01 crore – less than a third as much.
Among the recipients of that expanded budget is Pride East Entertainment Private Limited, the state’s largest media group, whose managing director and chairman is Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the wife of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who took office on May 10, 2021. Though the money given to Pride East is a tiny fraction considering the sharp surge in the overall ad spending.
