The Delhi government, under Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has never shied away from advertising its achievements, goals or objectives. The odd-even scheme dobara (again), announced with much fanfare this month on April 15, saw three advertisements on air, some on radio channels and a handful in newspapers, prompting the question why so few this time?
Of the not-so-slickly produced campaigns, an admission of the media managers in the Kejriwal government, the first focussed on Mr. Kejriwal urging drivers to follow odd-even restrictions, the second showing a pop-loving youngster and his classical music practitioner and older neighbour overcoming their differences to car-pool on alternate days, and the third showing a schoolteacher astounded by the knowledge of her wards of the scheme are the only ones on air right now.
A senior official attributed the relatively lesser thrust on publicising the scheme by the Aam Aadmi Party government — which reduced by over 80 percent the allocation for information and publicity this fiscal — to its familiarity with the people. Last year, Rs. 526 crore was set aside for advertising and publicity. This time, it was pegged at Rs. 100 crore.
“There was a significant allocation for publicity in the previous budget because the government was aware that the success of car-free days and the odd-even scheme hinged on significant publicity,” the official said.
The advertisements are shown only on two news television channels as the others found the rates of the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity too low. Sources in the government said: “Unlike other State governments which have their own publicity arm and which can hire the best advertising agencies by offering market rates, the peculiar status of the Delhi government means that we have to go with the agencies empanelled with the DAVP.”
Doordarshan, which comes under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, has not aired the advertisements. When Mr. Kejriwal took the battle for the control of the Delhi Police through a well-orchestrated audio-visual campaign, DD did not show it. But private news channels aired it.
The government wanted odd-even advertisements displayed prominently on the front pages of the newspapers, according to AAP sources. But the newspapers took them inside.
In a related development, the government told an RTI applicant that it has spent Rs. 9,000 on the publicity of the vehicle rationing scheme in its trial phase from January 1 to 15 this year.
