Previous govt spent ₹33cr on ads between Jan 2023-May 2024: Odisha govt in assembly
During this period, the Information and Public Relations Department had requested certain newspapers to publish advertorials on several programmes
The previous Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) state government spent over ₹33 crore from the state exchequer for advertisements between January 2023 to May this year, the government told the state assembly on Thursday.
Replying to a question by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Laxman Bag about the expenditure on government advertisements in newspapers, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi who also holds the information and public relations department, said ₹33.71 crore was spent on government advertisements in various newspapers of the state. Of this, ₹15.26 crore was spent on advertisements and advertorials featuring former 5T chairman and Patnaik’s aide VK Pandian, said the chief minister.
“During this period, the Information and Public Relations Department had requested certain newspapers to publish advertorials on several programmes and these included photos related to specific events, featuring both the CM and his close aide Pandian. The department published advertisements in various newspapers, highlighting various government schemes and programmes, during this period,” Majhi said.
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Reacting to the CM’s reply, BJD said advertisements were given to promote government schemes.
“The advertisements were given to popularise various government schemes. None of the advertorials had Pandian’s photos and only featured Naveen Patnaik. These types of attacks are very cheap,” said BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty.
