Karnataka government spent Rs 43.24 lakh a day on advertisements under Congress

The Congress government in Karnataka spent Rs 473.46 crore on advertisements and publicity over three financial years, nearly Rs 142 crore more than the previous BJP government spent in a comparable period. The expenditure works out to Rs 43.24 lakh a day, according to Assembly replies and data obtained through an RTI application. 

This includes Rs 175.39 crore in 2023-24, Rs 146.11 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 151.96 crore in 2025-26. 

The previous BJP government, led by Chief Ministers BS Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, spent Rs 111.15 crore on advertisements in 2020-21, Rs 86.04 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 134.35 crore in 2022-23, a total of Rs 331.54 crore. 

Newspapers, TV channels and advertising agencies

In response to a question by BJP MLA Vijayendra Yediyurappa in the Assembly, the state government said Rs 239.95 crore was spent on publicising the ‘Five Guarantee’ schemes through all media over the three years: Rs 139.65 crore in 2023-24, Rs 70.15 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 30.15 crore in 2025-26 (until January). 

The five Guarantee schemes announced in 2023 are Gruha Jyothi (free electricity), Gruha Lakshmi (cash aid for women heads of families), Shakti (free bus travel for women), Anna Bhagya (free rice) and Yuva Nidhi (unemployment allowance). 

For advertising these schemes, the English dailies Times of India and The Hindu received Rs 75.94 lakh and Rs 72.17 lakh, respectively, the highest among English-language dailies. Regional newspapers collectively received approximately Rs 5.05 crore, while district newspapers received around Rs 5.14 crore.

Among individually named publications, Kannada daily Vijayavani received the highest amount, approximately Rs 1.62 crore, followed by Vijaya Karnataka (Rs 1.48 crore), Prajavani (Rs 1.29 crore), and Vartha Bharati (Rs 1.11 crore).  

Among television channels, TV9 received the highest amount at Rs 3.31 crore, followed by Public TV at Rs 1.65 crore. The reply also shows that advertising agency Vritti Solutions received approximately Rs 22.90 crore, while Srishti Synergy received Rs 19.60 crore. Cinema theatres accounted for approximately Rs 7.86 crore and radio jingles for Rs 6.53 crore. 

In total, the government spent Rs 7.29 crore on newspapers outside Karnataka and national publications for advertising the same schemes, of which Rs 6.77 crore was spent in 2023-24, Rs 1.60 lakh in 2024-25 and Rs 50.28 lakh in 2025-26.

Which departments spent the most?

In response to another question by BJP MLA SN Channabasappa, the government gave advertising and publicity expenditure data across 81 departments, boards, corporations and government organisations. The Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) accounts for the largest amount – Rs 288.09 crore across the three years. It is followed by the Transport Department at Rs 48.93 crore, the BBMP at Rs 18.81 crore, and the Health and Family Welfare Department at Rs 18.40 crore.

In response to an RTI application on total advertising expenditure, DIPR said it spent Rs 102.70 crore in 2023-24, Rs 95.79 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 89.61 in 2025-26, up to January. 

Former CM Photo in Ads

On September 10, the Karnataka government published an advertisement in The Indian Express, The Hindu, Times of India and the Deccan Herald to mark 100 days of the DK Shivakumar government. It carried the government logo and a letter from Chief Minister Shivakumar, and also featured photographs of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara. The advertisement identified the Karnataka Information and Public Relations Department.

The use of photographs of political leaders in government advertisements raises questions about compliance with the Supreme Court’s guidelines. In its May 2015 judgment in Common Cause v. Union of India, the court said government advertisements should remain politically neutral and avoid glorifying individual leaders. It permitted photographs of only the President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India. 

In March 2016, it extended the exception to Governors and Chief Ministers, and allowed the departmental minister’s photograph in place of the Chief Minister’s. The exception does not extend to former Chief Ministers.

What does the government’s publicity budget look like?

The Karnataka government’s 2026–27 detailed budget estimates provide Rs 236.96 crore under the Information and Publicity head, which includes activities beyond advertisements. Between 2020–21 and 2025–26, the department spent Rs 619.32 crore on advertisements.

When public money is spent on government advertisements, questions of transparency, political neutrality, and accountability become important. 

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