'Expenditure incurred on print and electronic advertisements has been reduced by 39.78%'
New Delhi: The government on Tuesday informed the Parliament that the expenditure incurred on print and electronic advertisements has been reduced by 39.78 per cent.
In an unstarred question by CPI-M Lok Sabha MP M Selvaraj, the information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur mentioned the year-wise data, which shows that in the year 2021-22, the government at the centre incurred Rs. 179.04 crore for print media advertisement through Central Bureau of Communication, whereas in the current year, 2022-23 (till December 7, 2022) the government spent Rs. 91.96 crore. While, in electronic media, it incurred Rs. 101.24 crore and in 2022-23 (till December 7, 2022) the amount is 76.84 crore. According to the I&B minister, across all eight years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government tended to spend a larger amount on advertising in print media than electronic media, with the exception of 2017-18, 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23. He further referred, the central government spent Rs. 3,260.79 crore on advertising in electronic media and Rs. 3,230.77 crore on advertising in print media since the BJP was elected to power in 2014.
According to the data provided by Thakur, in electronic media, the government spent the largest amount since 2014 amounting to Rs. 609.15 crore in the financial year 2016-17. The largest successive expenditure was observed in FY 2015-16 at Rs. 531.60 crores and 2018-19 at Rs. 514.28 crores.
In 2014-15, the expenditure for print media and electronic media was recorded at Rs. 424.84 crore and Rs. 473.67 crore respectively. While during 2019-20 the government shelled out Rs. 295.05 crore and Rs. 317.11 crore on print media and electronic media, respectively, the union minister said.