Gujarat government spent ₹880 cr on ads over 11 Years, reveals RTI

Details of the Gujarat government spending more than ₹800 crore on advertisement in the last decade have come to light. The state government itself disclosed it under the Right to Information Act.

The information sought with the government under RTI regarding public advertisement has revealed that a huge amount of ₹880 crore has been spent in 11 years, at an average of ₹80 crore per year from the financial year 2014-15 to 2024-25. The government's advertising arm has spent ₹409.44 crore and the film production arm has spent ₹470.24 crore in a decade.

Every government scheme implemented by the state government is extensively publicised. Public notices are printed to reach people.

The Public Information Officer of the state government refused to provide the information sought under RTI, following which an application was filed before the Appellate Officer. He also rejected this application. Finally, the applicant knocked on the doors of the Gujarat Information Commission. Following the order made by the Information Commission, the information was disclosed.

Public debt of ₹66,000 on the head of every citizen of Gujarat

In the financial year 2024-25, Gujarat's public debt has increased to ₹3,99,633 crore. Which was ₹3,77,962 crore in the year 2023-24. That means, every citizen of Gujarat is under a debt of ₹66,000.