Modi govt spent over Rs 3,000 crore on self-promotion ads since 2018

News Network
July 23, 2023

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New Delhi, July 23: The Narendra Modi government has spent Rs 3,064.42 crore on advertisement and publicity for its schemes and programmes since 2018-19 with print media topping the list, though the overall advertisement budget has shown a decline.

The data provided by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in Rajya Sabha last week showed that the government spent Rs 1,338.56 crore in print media, Rs 1,273.06 crore in electronic media and Rs 452.80 crore on outdoor publicity between 2018-19 and 2023-24 till July 13 this year.

According to the data, the overall expenditure has declined from Rs 1,179.16 crore om 2018-19 to Rs 408.46 crore in 2022-23. 

In 2019-20, the advertisement expenditure had slumbed to Rs 708.18 crore. It further declined to Rs 409.47 crore in 2020-21 and Rs 315.98 crore in 2021-22 but picked up in 2022-23. 

Between April and July 13 this year, the government has spent Rs 43.16 crore on advertisements.

An analysis of the data showed that the electronic media had a higher share of the advertisement pie in 2018-19 and 2019-20 over the print media, its share declined in the next three fiscals.

In 2018-19, the electronic media got advertisements worth Rs 514.29 crore against print media's Rs 429.55 crore. The next fiscal too saw a similar trend though the advertisement budget was cut substantially owing to Covid-19 pandemic -- electronic media got Rs 316.99 crore against Rs 295.05 crore.

However, the trend reversed in 2020-21 when print media got Rs 197.49 crore against electronic media's Rs 167.90 crore. Similarly in 2021-22, it was Rs 179.04 crore against Rs 101.24 crore and Rs 220.34 crore and Rs 155.27 crore respectively.

The first four months of this fiscal, however, showed that electronic media spent was higher -- Rs 17.37 crore against Rs 17.09 crore in print.

The expenditure on outdoor publicity has come down drastically from Rs 235.33 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 32.85 crore in 2022-23. This fiscal so far, the government has spent Rs 8.70 crore.

In his written reply to the query of Trinamool Congress' Abir Ranjan Biswas, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur has said that an independent third party agency, conducted an all India Survey/Impact Assessment Study of Multi-Media Campaigns executed by Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) covering 722 districts. 

"Findings of the study have been found to be very useful in planning effective communication strategies so as to ensure targeted information dissemination and last mile connectivity," he said.

In a similar but separate question by Congress' Syed Nasir Hussain, the Minister said the CBC releases campaigns relating to publicity/awareness about Government schemes/programmes keeping in view the factors like target audience, availability of budget etc. as indicated by the client ministries and departments.

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News Network
December 4,2025

Udupi: A 40-year-old NRI from Udupi has reportedly lost more than Rs 12.25 lakh in an online investment scam operated through Telegram.

According to a complaint filed at the CEN police station, Leo Jerome Mendonsa, who has been working in Dubai for the past 15 years in computer accessories sales, maintains NRI accounts in Karkala and Nitte.

On November 12, 2025, Mendonsa was added to a Telegram group called Instaflow Earnings by unknown individuals. Users identified as Priya and Dipannita persuaded him to invest in “Revenue Tasks.” Initially, Mendonsa transferred Rs 1,100 multiple times and received the promised returns, encouraging him to continue.

On November 14, another user, Nishmitha Shetty, directed him to register on a website, digitvisionuoce.cc, and invest Rs 4 lakh in various shares. Over the next few days, he made multiple transfers totaling Rs 12,25,000, including Rs 50,000 via Google Pay, believing the scheme was legitimate.

After receiving the money, the alleged handlers stopped responding, and neither the invested amount nor the promised profits were returned.

The CEN police have registered a case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and investigations are ongoing.

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News Network
November 21,2025

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Local authorities say the Israeli military has expanded the so-called “yellow line” truce demarcation in Gaza City and repositioned its forces deeper into the territory in violation of a ceasefire agreement that came into force on October 10, besieging dozens of Palestinian families.

Gaza’s Government Media Office announced in a statement on Thursday that Israeli forces widened the boundary by shifting the markers, and advanced roughly 300 meters (984 feet) into the neighborhoods of Ash-Shaaf, An-Nazzaz and Baghdad Street.

The move pushed further into civilian areas, trapping families who were unable to flee as tanks rolled forward, it added.

“The fate of many of these families remains unknown amidst the shelling that targeted the area,” the office said, adding that the expansion of the yellow line shows a “blatant disregard” for the ceasefire deal.

On Friday, sources said the Israeli military carried out continued air and artillery strikes inside the so-called “yellow line” east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to the reports, Israeli warplanes and tanks targeted areas within the zone. One Palestinian was reported killed and several others wounded in the strikes, the sources said.

The fresh aggression came only a day after 25 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City and Khan Younis on Wednesday.

The media office reported that Israel has consistently violated the truce deal since its implementation last month, with near-daily attacks by air, artillery and direct shootings.

The office said over 400 violations have been documented. These breaches have resulted in the deaths of more than 300 Palestinians and left hundreds injured.

The Government Media Office in Gaza urged the guarantors of the ceasefire — the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey — to take swift action to halt the ongoing violations and facilitate the delivery of food, shelter materials, medical aid, and infrastructure equipment.

The so-called “yellow line,” set out in the agreement between Israel and Hamas resistance movement, refers to a non-physical partition where the Israeli military repositioned itself when the truce deal took effect.

It has allowed Israel, which routinely fires at Palestinians who approach the line, to retain control over more than half of the Gaza Strip.

International bodies, including the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, and other rights groups, have concluded that the Israeli war on Gaza amounts to genocide.

In the attacks in Gaza since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 69,546 people and injured 170,833 others, leveling large swaths of the territory and displacing almost all of the population. 

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News Network
November 21,2025

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Udupi: The Malpe Police have arrested two men from Uttar Pradesh for allegedly sharing classified information related to Indian Navy vessels with individuals in Pakistan, posing a serious threat to national security.

According to a complaint filed by the CEO of Udupi Cochin Shipyard, Malpe—an institution under the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways—the prime accused, Rohit (29), was working as an insulator through subcontractor M/S Shushma Marine Pvt Ltd. He had earlier served at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi, Kerala, where naval ships are under construction.

Udupi SP Hariram Shankar said the accused had unlawfully shared, via WhatsApp, confidential identification numbers of Navy-related ships and other classified details while working in Kerala, allegedly for illegal gains.

After joining the Malpe shipyard unit, Rohit reportedly continued collecting sensitive information through a friend in Kochi and circulated it to unauthorised individuals, violating national security protocols and potentially endangering India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity.

Based on the complaint, Malpe Police registered a case under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

A police team led by Karkala Subdivision Assistant Superintendent of Police Harsha Priyamvada—along with PSI Anil Kumar D, ASI Harish, and PC Ravi Jadhav—conducted the investigation and arrested the two accused, identified as Rohit (29) and Santri (37), both residents of Sultanpur district, Uttar Pradesh.

The duo was produced before the court, which remanded them in judicial custody till December 3. Further investigation is in progress.

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