Arvind Kejriwal: AAP's media spend four times that of previous government

The AAP government has spent an average of Rs 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, according to an RTI reply

The expenditure includes, among others, advertisements with photos of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other ministers. File pic

The AAP government has spent an average of Rs 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, according to an RTI reply.

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

The average annual expenditure of the AAP government on advertisements from April 2015 to December 2017 was Rs 70.5 crore. The Congress' average was Rs 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.

Last year, the government came under an opposition attack after Lt. Governor Anil Baijal asked the AAP to cough up Rs 97 crore spent on advertisements, allegedly to promote the party instead of the government. The LG order was based on a report by the Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising (CCRGA).

The regulatory authority asked the Delhi government to assess the expenditure in issuing "those advertisements/advertorials in which the name of the Aam Aadmi Party is mentioned" and other factors. The Delhi government approached the High Court and the matter is currently pending there.

Rs 70.5
The average sum in crores spent byâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088AAP annually on ads

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