CAG report states AAP’s spending on ads rises by 1,200% from 2018-2022

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's advertising spending increased by 1,200% between 2018 and 2022, raising serious concerns about financial mismanagement and violations of Supreme Court guidelines, according to a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit report that has yet to be tabled in the Delhi Assembly.

The report, which examines the economic, social, and general sectors as well as Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), found that the Delhi government's advertising expenditure increased from Rs 46.90 crore in 2018 to a startling Rs 612.80 crore by the end of 2022. The CAG identified major inconsistencies in advertising spending and indicated a lack of monitoring and evaluation of public relations activities, TNIE reported.

“Advertisements and publicity expenditure of GNCTD increased more than 12 times from Rs 46.90 crore to Rs 612.81 crore during 2018-22. Payments were released to publicity agencies without ensuring adequate monitoring and evaluation of their work. The expenditure control register was not maintained, resulting in the release of advertisements without budget provisions,” the report read.

The audit also discovered that AAP commercials were disproportionately positioned outside of Delhi, breaking SC-mandated content limitations for government advertising.

The Supreme Court had established tough norms to restrict the misuse of public funds for political promotion, yet the CAG determined that some advertisements had no acceptable government purpose. Furthermore, payments of Rs 57.90 crores were granted between 2020 and 2022 for advertising aired from 2015 to 2017—a clear breach of the court's rules.

The audit also revealed operational flaws within Shabdarth, an autonomous organisation in charge of the Delhi government's public relations. Contractual employees at Shabdarth were discovered to be influencing tendering processes and choosing PR agencies without proper scrutiny.

The audit findings indicated no proper link between advertisement release orders and payment records. The DIP failed to give precise data on pending payments, resulting in an opaque financial structure that lacks accountability.

28% funds used for Mohalla clinics

According to the report, just 28% of the Rs 35.16 crore allotted for the Mohalla Clinic building between 2016 and 2023 was used. It resulted in considerable underutilisation of development money.

Enforcement only at 7 entry points

According to the CAG report, enforcement teams were only deployed at seven of the 128 vehicle entrance sites. The teams did not have vehicle-mounted PUC equipment to inspect visible polluting automobiles.