How Much Did Govt Spend On Publicity Since 2018-19? Minister Reveals

The government spent Rs 408.46 crore on the publicity of its schemes through the Central Bureau of Communications in 2022-23, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

In a written reply, Thakur said the government spent Rs 1,179.17 crore on publicity in 2018-19, and Rs 708.18 crore in 2019-20 through different media vehicles. The last Lok Sabha elections were held in 2019. In 2020-21, the government's expenditure on publicity and awareness initiatives was Rs 409.47 crore, followed by Rs 315.98 crore in 2021-22, he said.

The expenditure on publicity in 2023-24 has been Rs 43.16 crore as on July 13, 2023, Thakur said. The total expenditure since 2018-19 on publicity amounts to Rs 3,100.42 crore. The minister said an independent third-party agency conducted an all-India Survey/Impact Assessment Study of multimedia campaigns executed by the Central Bureau of Communications covering 722 districts.

The findings of the study have been very useful in planning effective communication strategies to ensure targeted information dissemination and last-mile connectivity, Thakur said.