AAP govt spent four times the previous govt on ads: RTI

NEW DELHI:The AAP government has spent an average of ₹70.5 crore annually in the past three years on advertisements — four times more than the previous government’s expenditure on print, electronic and outdoor advertising, says an RTI reply.

In the first year after assuming office in February 2015, the Arvind Kejriwal government spent ₹59.9 crore on advertisements, ₹66.3 crore the next year and ₹85.3 crore up to December 31, 2017, the Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP) said in a reply to an RTI application by IANS.

The average annual expenditure of the AAP government on advertisements from April 2015 to December 2017 was ₹70.5 crore. The Congress’ average was ₹17.4 crore in the last five years of its rule (2008-2013).

According to the DIP, the expenditure includes, among others, advertisements with photos of the chief minister and other ministers in newspapers and hoardings, commercial spots on TV and radio, and tender notices published in newspapers.

For instance, when the AAP government completed its first and second anniversary in 2016 and 2017, leading newspapers in the capital carried full-page advertisements, highlighting the achievements of the government.

In the run-up to celebrating its three years in office, the government in the first two weeks of February carried advertisements flashing pictures of the chief minister or other ministers.

The highlights included inauguration of community toilets, excellence awards distribution for students, a government meeting on “smart gaon”, and invitation of applications for scholarship schemes.

Delhi government spokesperson Nagendar Sharma said he has “no comments” to offer on the increase in expenditure.