The government spent Rs 408.46 crore on the publicity of its schemes through the Central Bureau of Communications (CIC) in 2022-23, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur told the Rajya Sabha.
In a written reply, Thakur said the government spent Rs 1,179.17 crore on publicity in 2018-19, and Rs 708.18 crore in 2019-20 through different media vehicles, a report from PTI states.
It is to be noted that the last Lok Sabha elections were held in 2019.
The expenditure on publicity in 2023-24 has been Rs 43.16 crore as on July 13, 2023, Thakur said. The total expenditure since 2018-19 on publicity amounts to Rs 3,100.42 crore.
The minister said an independent third-party agency conducted an all-India Survey/Impact Assessment Study of multimedia campaigns executed by the Central Bureau of Communications covering 722 districts.
The findings of the study have been very useful in planning effective communication strategies to ensure targeted information dissemination and last-mile connectivity, Thakur shared.
Thakur also informed the house that the government has taken steps to utilize influencer marketing agencies for the dissemination of information about its schemes and initiatives to a wider audience, as disclosed in Parliament. MyGov, the citizen engagement platform launched in 2014, has enlisted four such agencies through an empanelment process. However, no funds have been expended on this endeavour so far, according to the government’s response.