The Union government’s Directorate of Advertising & Visual Publicity (DAVP) has said in its reply to an RTI query that “Rs Nil”, or no money at all, had been spent on the advertising blitzkrieg in May on the completion of two years by the Narendra Modi-led government. The reply has set tongues wagging, with Opposition parties demanding to know who had paid for the ads.
The RTI application to DAVP had been filed by Advocate Pranay Ajmera, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) student wing activist. The application sought details of money spent by the government on the advertisement campaign in print and electronic media. The DAVP comes under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and is responsible for releasing government ad campaigns to media houses.
In a reply sent on June 8, the DAVP said, “With regard to information pertaining to audio visual accounts of your RTI, the requisite information for amount spent on advertisements to celebrate two years completion of Union government as on date 29/05/2016 in Rs NIL.”
The NCP’s chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said, “We have been bombarded with government advertisements for many months now celebrating two years of the government. The government must explain as to whether all media houses published these ads for free or the work was outsourced to a private agency.
Mr Malik said the government should also explain if the campaign was funded by the Ambanis, Adanis and Tatas. “Were the media houses forced to publish free government advertisements?” he asked.
Mr Ajmera, who has filed an application for first appeal with the appellate authority, said he wanted to highlight bring the money spent by the government on publicity. “I am not satisfied with the information I received. Either they are lying or hiding the information,” he said. He added, “Advertisments cannot be published without spending money. If the government hasn’t spent it, then who spent it? I will continue to pursue the case with the authorities.”
