Karnataka govt has no money for public welfare but spends Rs 2 crore on ads
The state’s debt is likely to reach Rs 7.64 lakh crore by the end of March 2026, but it has spent Rs 2 crore on newspaper advertisements targeting VB-G RAM G
The Karnataka government may be neck-deep in debt and not have enough money to fund welfare schemes, but that is not stopping it from spending crores on newspaper advertisements criticising the Centre for replacing MGNREGA with VB-G RAM G.
The state government’s debt is likely to reach Rs 7.64 lakh crore by the end of March 2026, and it is reportedly planning to borrow another Rs 1.16 lakh crore for the next state Budget. Yet, an average of Rs 2 crore has been spent on newspaper advertisements targeting VB-G RAM G. The amount may be minuscule in comparison but it’s wasteful spending nevertheless.
On February 3, the Congress government gave a front page advertisement in almost all state newspapers, including Kannada and English, with the intention of criticizing the Centre’s VB-G RAM G scheme. In response, the BJP, in an advertisement on February 6, published a caricature showing Gandhiji beating up Congress leaders with sticks.
How much is the advertising rate?
The advertising rate is based on the brand and circulation of the newspapers. In particular, the government rate will be higher than the normal rate of advertising. For a full-page advertisement in a state-level Kannada newspaper, an estimated Rs 10 lakh must be paid, according to the price list of the Information and Public Relations Department.
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For an English newspaper, a minimum of Rs 13 to 14 lakh must be paid. It can be estimated that there are more than 1,000 newspapers recognized by the Information Department, including state, regional and district-level newspapers. If those are counted, the state government has spent at least Rs 2 crore on a day’s advertisement.
It’s not that the government is advertising to promote any schemes or for public information. And it won’t be easy for the state government to change the VB-G RAM G scheme that the central Cabinet has approved either. Yet, taxpayers’ money is being wasted on it.
No money for things that matter
On the other hand, the state government is struggling to pay for welfare schemes. It has not released money for the educational expenses of the children of farmers who died by suicide. In the past two years, the families of none of the 223 farmers who died by suicide received the Rs 5 lakh compensation promised. In the current year, 86 cases of suicide are still under review.
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The academic year has come to an end, but the government never distributed shoes and socks among government schoolchildren. No fund has been released for housing projects, none for scholarships. The bicycles distributed among schoolchildren are in a sad state.
The State Government Medical Officers’ Association wrote to the government three days ago complaining about the lack of adequate medicines in government hospitals. The Health Department has admitted that there is a shortage of doctors, nurses and skilled technicians in hospitals.
(This article was originally published in The Federal Karnataka.)
