Rs 54.5 crore spent advertising 10 government schemes, RTI replies and Rajya Sabha data show
Information from RTI replies and Rajya Sabha shows GST Bachat Utsav drew the most advertising spend, and print media took the biggest share.
The government runs a range of welfare schemes for the poor and the needy, and wants as many of the right people as possible to benefit from them. Advertising is one of the key ways of taking information about the schemes to people. The question is how much public money went into those advertisements.
The details have emerged from replies received under the Right to Information (RTI) Act and information given in the Rajya Sabha. According to this information, 10 major schemes and initiatives were run on a large scale in the financial years 2023-24 and 2025-26. They were also advertised on a large scale, at a total cost of Rs 54.5 crore.
The information mentions two major schemes, PM Vishwakarma Scheme and PM Internship Scheme. Rs 7.4 crore was spent on publicity for PM Vishwakarma Scheme, while Rs 12.6 crore was spent on PM Internship Scheme.
The most money went on GST Bachat Utsav, at an estimated Rs 27.1 crore. This made it the scheme with the highest advertising expenditure.
The government publicises its schemes through television, radio, cinema halls, social media platforms, hoardings and posters. Advertisements were placed in many different outlets, but the largest share went to a single medium.
That medium is print. Print media accounted for 58.8 per cent of the total expenditure. Outdoor advertising accounted for 7.2 per cent.
Taken together, the RTI replies and the information given in the Rajya Sabha show that Rs 54.5 crore was spent on publicity for 10 major schemes and initiatives in the financial years 2023-24 and 2025-26. GST Bachat Utsav received the most, an estimated Rs 27.1 crore, and print was the medium with the highest spend.
