Half of govt ad spend on ten schemes went to GST Bachat Utsav

According to information shared in the Rajya Sabha and via RTI responses, the government spent ₹54.5 crore on publicising 10 key schemes. Of this total, nearly half—₹27.1 crore—was allocated specifically to the GST Bachat Utsav campaign.

What is GST Bachat Utsav?

Launched on September 22, 2025, following the 56th GST Council meeting, the "Savings Festival" was a 100-day nationwide campaign. Its core objectives were:

• Awareness of GST 2.0: Informing consumers about the rationalization of tax slabs, where many items were moved to the 5% and 18% brackets.
• Direct Benefit Transfer: Ensuring that the tax cuts reached the end consumer rather than being absorbed as profit by intermediaries.
• Transparency: Collaborating with e-commerce giants (Amazon, Flipkart, Zomato, etc.) to clearly display "GST Discount" or "GST Savings" on customer invoices.

Ad Spend Breakdown (FY24 - FY26)

While the GST Bachat Utsav took the lion's share, other schemes also received significant allocations:

Media Strategy Trends

The advertising strategy for these schemes highlights a notable preference in government communication:

• Print Dominance: Over 58% of the total spend was directed toward print media, reinforcing its role as a "credibility-driven" channel for official announcements.
• Digital Surge: Digital media accounted for about 14.6%, focusing on e-commerce integration and social media FAQs.
• Monitoring: The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) actively monitored prices of packaged food and medicines to ensure the advertised "savings" were actually reflecting in market prices.

This concentration of spending underscores the government's priority on "GST 2.0" as a major economic pillar, using the festive season to spur consumption through visible tax relief.