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| Rs 2.5 lakh a day for keeping Govt’s face afloat | | | Early Times Report
Jammu , Aug 25
In days of recession and meltdown when expenditures were cut everywhere as part of austerity measures, the state Information Department continued to be a major advertisement spender, of course to boost image of the government and publicise its schemes. During last financial year, the Information Department spent almost Rs 2.5 lakhs a day (Sundays and holidays included) on advertisements.
Records however show that the department remained continuously on the spending spree without caring for its other basic duties which include bringing out quality publications. Except two poorly brought out booklets in elections, the Information Department has not brought out any substantial publication in last few years which used to be its hallmark until recently.
In Jammu and Kashmir, where growth of newspapers is unprecedented, the State Information Department is the major advertiser. Though its advertisement mandate was limited to the tenders and notifications but not it has taken a reverse role. Finding the newspapers in stiff competition, most of the tenders, notifications, employment notices, results etc are given to the newspapers as complimentary copy and money is mostly spent on promoting party lines of the governments and covering up gaps by disguising news stories as advertisements.
There are 367 big, small, medium and obscure newspapers listed with the Information Department for advertisements. 367 may sound a big figure for a small state like Jammu and Kashmir but hundreds of newspapers exist only the records of Information Department for want of advertisements and the department does not have any policy of check or any well laid down criteria for categorizing the newspapers.
Of the 240 English newspapers, 39 are published from Srinagar and 88 from Jammu while of the total Urdu newspapers, 142 are published from Srinagar and 98 from Jammu. He said about Rs 4.60 crore were paid on account of advertisement charges to the English newspapers in the State during 2008-09 while about Rs 3.52 crore were paid for the purpose to the Urdu newspapers in Jammu and Kashmir during this period.
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