RTI Reveals Centre Spent ₹2,585.80 Crore on Government Advertisements in Six Financial Years; Vendor-Wise Payments Withheld

By Dweep Tulika News Desk

New Delhi / Sri Vijaya Puram | July 11

An official reply obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed that the Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting spent ₹2,585.80 crore on government advertisements across print, television, radio, outdoor publicity and digital media between FY 2020-21 and 11 June 2026.

The information was disclosed in response to RTI Registration No. DOAVP/R/T/26/00095, filed by Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale. The reply, dated 16 June 2026, includes detailed year-wise expenditure across different media categories.

How Was the Expenditure Distributed?

According to Annexure A of the RTI reply:

Based on the total expenditure disclosed in the RTI, the government spent an average of approximately:

• ₹431 crore per year
• ₹35.9 crore per month
• ₹1.18 crore per day

during the period covered by the RTI.

Expenditure Increased in Recent Years

The RTI records indicate a significant increase in advertising expenditure over time.

Print media expenditure rose from approximately ₹53.77 crore in FY 2020-21 to nearly ₹338 crore in FY 2025-26.

Digital and New Media spending also increased substantially, rising from ₹14.40 crore to ₹131.35 crore during the same period.

Outdoor publicity expenditure increased notably after FY 2022-23, while Television & Radio remained the largest category of expenditure throughout the reporting period.

Agency-Wise Payment Details Withheld

The RTI applicant also requested details regarding payments made to individual advertising agencies.

The Central Bureau of Communication declined to disclose those records, citing Section 8(1)(d) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, which exempts certain commercial information from disclosure if releasing it could harm the competitive position of a third party.

Consequently, the names of advertising agencies and vendor-wise payment details were not disclosed.

Under the RTI Act, such decisions may be challenged through the prescribed appeal process before the appropriate appellate authority or the Central Information Commission.

Scope of the RTI

The expenditure disclosed relates only to advertisements released through the Central Bureau of Communication, the Government of India's nodal agency for public communication campaigns.

The RTI does not include:

• Political party expenditure.
• Election campaign spending.
• Advertisements issued by State Governments.
• Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) publicity.
• Advertisements released independently by other government departments or agencies outside the scope of this RTI.

Transparency and Public Accountability

Government advertising serves multiple public purposes, including awareness campaigns, dissemination of welfare schemes, health advisories, disaster information and official policy communication.

As public funds are involved, such expenditure is subject to scrutiny under the Right to Information Act.

While the RTI provides verified information regarding the total expenditure incurred through the CBC, it does not identify the individual agencies that received payments. Whether greater transparency regarding the distribution of these public funds should be provided remains a matter that may be examined through the RTI appeals process or by the Central Information Commission.

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RTI Snapshot

Department: Central Bureau of Communication (CBC)

Ministry: Information & Broadcasting

RTI Registration No.: DOAVP/R/T/26/00095

Reply Date: 16 June 2026