Karnataka Congress Government Spent Rs 43.24 Lakh Per Day on Advertisements
Government spent Rs 473.46 crore on publicity over three financial years, nearly Rs 142 crore more than the previous BJP government, according to Assembly replies and RTI data.
Bengaluru (Fikrokhabar News): The Congress government in Karnataka spent Rs 473.46 crore on advertisements and publicity over the last three financial years, averaging approximately Rs 43.24 lakh per day. The expenditure was nearly Rs 142 crore higher than the amount spent by the previous BJP government over a comparable period, according to information provided in the State Assembly and data obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) application.
The Congress government spent Rs 175.39 crore in 2023 to 24, Rs 146.11 crore in 2024 to 25 and Rs 151.96 crore in 2025 to 26.
In comparison, the previous BJP government, led by B. S. Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, spent a total of Rs 331.54 crore on advertisements during the three financial years from 2020 to 21 to 2022 to 23. The annual expenditure stood at Rs 111.15 crore, Rs 86.04 crore and Rs 134.35 crore, respectively.
Spending on Five Guarantee Schemes
In response to a question raised by BJP MLA Vijayendra Yediyurappa in the Assembly, the state government disclosed that Rs 239.95 crore was spent on publicising its five guarantee schemes through different media platforms over the three years.
The expenditure included Rs 139.65 crore in 2023 to 24, Rs 70.15 crore in 2024 to 25 and Rs 30.15 crore in 2025 to 26, up to January.
The five guarantee schemes introduced by the Congress government in 2023 are Gruha Jyothi, which provides free electricity; Gruha Lakshmi, which offers financial assistance to women heads of households; Shakti, which provides free bus travel for women; Anna Bhagya, which provides free rice; and Yuva Nidhi, an unemployment allowance scheme.
Among English newspapers, The Times of India received Rs 75.94 lakh, while The Hindu received Rs 72.17 lakh for advertisements related to the schemes.
Regional newspapers collectively received approximately Rs 5.05 crore, while district newspapers received around Rs 5.14 crore.
Among individual Kannada publications, Vijayavani received the highest amount at approximately Rs 1.62 crore, followed by Vijaya Karnataka with Rs 1.48 crore, Prajavani with Rs 1.29 crore and Vartha Bharati with Rs 1.11 crore.
Among television channels, TV9 received Rs 3.31 crore, followed by Public TV with Rs 1.65 crore.
Advertising agencies also received substantial amounts. Vritti Solutions received approximately Rs 22.90 crore, while Srishti Synergy received Rs 19.60 crore. Cinema theatre advertisements accounted for around Rs 7.86 crore, while radio jingles received Rs 6.53 crore.
The government also spent Rs 7.29 crore on advertisements in newspapers outside Karnataka and national publications for promoting the guarantee schemes.
Information Department Accounts for Largest Share
In response to another question raised by BJP MLA S. N. Channabasappa, the government provided advertising and publicity expenditure details covering 81 departments, boards, corporations and government organisations.
The Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) accounted for the largest share, spending Rs 288.09 crore over the three financial years.
The Transport Department followed with Rs 48.93 crore, while the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) spent Rs 18.81 crore. The Health and Family Welfare Department accounted for Rs 18.40 crore.
Separately, in response to an RTI application seeking details of its advertising expenditure, the DIPR reported spending Rs 102.70 crore in 2023 to 24, Rs 95.79 crore in 2024 to 25 and Rs 89.61 crore in 2025 to 26, up to January.
Former Chief Minister’s Photograph in Government Advertisement
The report also raised questions about the use of photographs of political leaders in government advertisements.
On September 10, the Karnataka government published an advertisement in The Indian Express, The Hindu, The Times of India and Deccan Herald to mark 100 days of the DK Shivakumar government. The advertisement carried the government logo and a letter from Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, along with photographs of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara. It was issued by the Karnataka Information and Public Relations Department.
The use of political leaders’ photographs in government advertisements has raised questions about compliance with Supreme Court guidelines.
In its May 2015 judgment in Common Cause v. Union of India, the Supreme Court directed that government advertisements should remain politically neutral and should not be used to glorify individual leaders. The court initially permitted photographs of only the President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India.
In March 2016, the court extended the exception to Governors and Chief Ministers and allowed the photograph of the departmental minister in place of the Chief Minister. The exception does not include former Chief Ministers.
Karnataka’s Publicity Budget
According to the Karnataka government’s detailed budget estimates for 2026 to 27, Rs 236.96 crore has been allocated under the Information and Publicity head. This allocation covers activities beyond advertisements.
Between 2020 to 21 and 2025 to 26, the Information Department reportedly spent Rs 619.32 crore on advertisements.
The figures have brought renewed attention to government spending on publicity and the importance of transparency, political neutrality and accountability when public funds are used for advertising.