GST Bachat Utsav accounted for ₹27.1 crore of a reported ₹54.5 crore in government advertising across 10 schemes, according to a Rediff report published October 6, 2026. Rediff says the GST campaign figure covers September–December 2025. A separate Finance Ministry answer to Parliament states that government advertising expenditure for GST Bachat Utsav totalled ₹88.74 crore; the two figures have different stated contexts and cannot be reconciled from the available information.
What the reported figures cover
Rediff says the government spent ₹54.5 crore publicising 10 key schemes during FY2023–24 through FY2025–26. Within that set, it reports ₹27.1 crore for GST Bachat Utsav between September and December 2025, the largest allocation among the listed schemes. Rediff attributes its figures to RTI responses seen by Business Standard and information presented in the Rajya Sabha; it does not reproduce the underlying RTI response or scheme-level table. Read Rediff’s October 6, 2026 report.
The Ministry of Finance gave a separate figure in its written answer to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2560, dated March 9, 2026. The answer says: “It is submitted that the total expenditure done by Government on advertising for GST Bachat Utsav is Rs 88.74 Crore.” The answer, issued under the name of Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, does not provide a matching period definition or an itemised breakdown that would explain how this amount relates to Rediff’s ₹27.1 crore. View the reproduced Lok Sabha answer.
Because the sources do not establish common reporting periods or accounting definitions, ₹27.1 crore and ₹88.74 crore should not be treated as directly comparable, or as one figure replacing the other. The available information does not resolve the difference.
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Rediff describes GST Bachat Utsav as a nationwide, 100-day outreach campaign to highlight consumer savings associated with GST 2.0 and GST rate-slab rationalisation. The Finance Ministry’s parliamentary answer describes publicity for GST rate rationalisation, price monitoring and consumer guidance. It says the 56th GST Council meeting rationalised rates, with changes taking effect from September 22, 2025.
The government’s answer says CBIC monitored prices of important commodities, including packaged foods and medicines, before and after September 22, 2025. It also lists meetings with trade associations and line ministries, print and social-media publicity, FAQs on the CBIC website, and consumer recourse through the National Consumer Helpline and INGRAM. CBIC field inputs, according to the answer, indicated that benefits had largely been passed on to end-consumers. That is the government’s account of its follow-up, not an independent evaluation establishing the campaign’s effect.
Where the ten-scheme advertising spend went
Rediff reports the following media shares for advertising expenditure across the 10 schemes—not solely for GST Bachat Utsav:
| Media channel | Reported share |
|---|---|
| 58.8% | |
| Electronic | 19.5% |
| Digital | 14.6% |
| Outdoor | 7.2% |
The published shares total 100.1%, which is consistent with rounding; Rediff does not explain the difference. The report says the Central Bureau of Communication, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, administered advertising across these channels. It also says the 10 schemes accounted for 2.6% of total advertisement expenditure, and that eight schemes received allocations while two received none.
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Other scheme allocations in Rediff’s report
Rediff also reports two scheme amounts with different date ranges. The periods matter when comparing them with each other or with the 10-scheme total.
| Scheme | Reported advertising amount | Period stated |
|---|---|---|
| PM Internship Scheme | ₹12.6 crore | October 2024–March 2026 |
| PM Vishwakarma Scheme | ₹7.4 crore | September 2023–March 2026 |
These amounts and periods are as reported by Rediff; their different windows mean they should not be read as allocations for the same duration.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the figures do—and do not—show
The figures describe reported government advertising expenditure, not the full cost of GST Bachat Utsav or a measure of the campaign’s savings for households. Rediff quotes independent media and communications consultant Paritosh Joshi saying merchants also ran their own promotions, making publicity a combined effort rather than solely a government initiative. The sources do not quantify those merchant campaigns or provide an independent assessment linking government advertising to consumer savings.
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