Govt Spends More Than 5 Crore On PM's "Maan Ki Baat" Ads In Ten Years: RTI
RTI activist Ajay Bose wrote on the X platform on Saturday that an RTI (Right to Information) request has revealed details on the government spending for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly radio broadcast, “Mann Ki Baat.” Bose stated that he had filed an RTI with the Government of India on the amount spent on advertisements by the PM Modi-led government from 3rd Oct 2014 to 25th Aug 2024.
I had filed RTI with @MIB_India GOI on Amt spent on advertisement of PM Modi Maan Ki Baat from 3rd Oct 2014 to 25th Aug 2024, Total = 5,90,37,453 ( Rs 5Cr,90L,37K,453 ) only Advertising in Print Media
The Amt spent in Electronic Media yet to come, Imagine the Amt of Tax Payers… pic.twitter.com/sl8sYnuKQW— AJAY BOSE (@AjayBos93388306) September 15, 2024
In response to his request, the RTI revealed that the government had spent a staggering Rs 5,90,37,453 (5 Crore, 90 Lakh, 37 Thousand, 453) on advertising “Mann Ki Baat” in print media alone from 2014 to 2024. This amount does not include expenses incurred on electronic media. He pointed out that a whopping amount of ‘Tax Payers’ Money’ has been wasted on the Promotion of PM Modi’s “Maan Ki Baat.”
Since Maan Ki Baat has been linked to many controversies, earlier in 2023, an RTI request was filed by Deepak Malghan, a professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB). He sought information about a study claimed to have been conducted by IIMB and the State Bank of India (SBI) on the impact of “Mann Ki Baat”. However, IIMB replied that it had no records of such a study, contradicting the claims made by the Prime Minister’s office.
The Prime Minister’s office stated that the study analysed the impact of 105 episodes of “Mann Ki Baat” over nine years and assessed the policy implications using Natural Language Processing (NLP). However, IIMB’s response suggests that the institute is unaware of any such study, as per the reports.
What is “Maan Ki Baat?”
“Mann Ki Baat” is a radio show where India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks to the people of India sharing his thoughts and ideas on important issues. The show started in 2014 and has had over 100 episodes. It’s broadcast on radio and TV channels in India and even worldwide. The major goal of this is to connect with citizens and discuss everyday issues happening in the country.
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