December 8, 2017:

The BJP and Congress had criticised AAP government in Delhi for spending Rs 526 crore on advertising its achievements in 2015.

Modi Government has spent a whopping nearly Rs 3,755 crore in three and half years on its publicity till October,2017, RTI has revealed on Friday.

Expenditure on the advertisements from April 2014 to October 2017 through electronic, print media and outdoor publicity is Rs 37,54,06,23,616, according to RTI reply by Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

Application was filed by Greater Noida-based Social Activist Ramveer Tanwar.

According to Information, Central Government spent over Rs 1,656 crore on the electronic media advt, including community radio, digital cinema, Doordarshan, Internet, SMS and TV.

For the print media, Government spent more than Rs 1,698 crore.

On the outdoor advertisements, which includes the hoardings, posters, booklets and calendars, Central Government has spent over Rs 399 crore.

Amount spent on the publicity blitz is more than yearly budget allocated to the some key ministries and the Government’s flagship programmes.

Government’s allocation for the “pollution abatement” in last three years has been only Rs 56.8 crore.

In the year 2016, RTI filed by Tanwar had revealed that Centre spent over Rs 1,100 crore between June 1, 2014 and August 31, 2016, on the advertisements featuring the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Ministry gave a break up of expenditure according to which Rs 448 crore was spent from June 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015, and Rs 542 crore and Rs 120 crore spent from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016 and April 1, 2016 to August 31, 2016.

Expenditure was only for television, Internet and other electronic media and did not include the expenditure on outdoor and the print advertisements.

BJP and Congress had criticised Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government in Delhi for spending about Rs 526 crore on advertising its achievements in the year 2015.