RTI Reveals Centre Spent Rs 2,586 Crore on PM Modi Advertisements Since 2020

Key Points

RS 2586 CRORE WERE SPENT on advertising and promotional materials for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a right to information (RTI) reply has revealed. Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saket Ghokhale, who filed the RTI plea, revealed that the center had spent Rs 25,86,00,00,000 of taxpayers’ money to advertise and promote the prime minister. 

The RTI plea was filed on June 1, 2026 by Ghokhale, which sought a disclosure of the total amount the government was allocating towards advertisements that promote Modi across all platforms — including digital,  social media, TV, radio, print and hoardings. The requested data was released by the Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) — the outreach wing under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting — on June 16, 2026. 

The RTI reply detailed all the expenditures, giving a year-by-year breakdown per individual year, starting from 2020. However, Gokhale alleged that the RTI reply didn't mention which ad/media agency received how much funds. 

See also: Centre Spent ₹76 Lakh on Print Ads for RSS Centenary, RTI Reveals

What the RTI revealed

The center spent around Rs 338 crore for print media advertisements in 2025-26, the RTI stated. This is nearly four times the amount spent in 2024-25, which was Rs 83.16 crore. The total amount spent on print media advertisements during 2020-2026 was tallied up to Rs 796 crore.

For audio-visual advertising including TV and radio, approximately Rs 936 crore were spent from 2020-2021 to the current financial year. 

For hoarding and outdoor advertisements, Rs 583.97 crore was spent between 2020 and 2026. This particular expenditure is noteworthy, as year-wise breakdown of outdoor ads reveal another reality. The lowest amount in this category of ads was spent in 2022-23, the year before the general elections, and was recorded to be Rs 32.76 crore. In 2023-24, the government spent Rs 162.21 crore. 

Just six months into the FY 2026-27 financial year, Rs 12.55 crore have already been spent by the Union government in audio-visual advertising for Modi.

See also: Supreme Court Slams RTI Activism as "New Business Obstructing Public Servants," Denies Anticipatory Bail to Punjab Activists

Gokhale asserted that “public money” being spent on promoting and advertising PM Modi has witnessed a “significant acceleration.”

For new media advertisements such as digital and social media mediums, the government went from spending Rs 14 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 131.35 crore in 2025-26, which is nearly a tenfold increase.

Gokhale said that the CBC has refused to disclose which advertising and media organization received the Rs 2586 crore fund, citing “commercial confidence” as the reason to withhold this information. Criticizing the lack of transparency, Gokhale alleged that the government spends huge public funds on publicity while hiding where the money goes.

The TMC MP has directed a sharp critique at the union government, alleging that the center would spend “thousands of crores of public money on Modi’s PR but will hide who received the money.” 

He also brought Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah under criticism, claiming that they're “controlling the media using government advertising.” “When the reward for promoting Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is Rs 2,586 crore, are you surprised that our media is supremely compromised?” Gokhale questioned.

[Edited by: Vaishnavi Sivadasan]

Suggested reading: