Government data cited in parliamentary records shows Times of India received the largest share of central government print advertising between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
The Central government spent ₹910.4 crore on print advertising between financial years 2020-21 and 2024-25, according to information provided by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in Parliament.
The expenditure covers government advertising placed in print publications during the five-year period. Government advertisements are generally used to communicate information about public schemes, policies, programmes and public-awareness initiatives.
Among individual newspapers, The Times of India received the highest reported allocation, at approximately ₹78.22 crore during the five-year period. Dainik Jagran followed with ₹59.14 crore, while Hindustan Times received ₹47.80 crore.
Other newspapers receiving significant allocations included Amar Ujala with ₹24.92 crore, Hindustan with ₹21.56 crore and Dainik Bhaskar with ₹20.53 crore. The Indian Express received approximately ₹6.51 crore during the period.
Times of India Leads Yearly Allocations
The reported figures show that The Times of India remained the largest recipient among the newspapers listed in each of the five financial years.
Its reported allocations were:
- 2020-21: ₹17.87 crore
- 2021-22: ₹16.95 crore
- 2022-23: ₹21.01 crore
- 2023-24: ₹16.32 crore
- 2024-25: ₹6.04 crore
Dainik Jagran’s reported allocations during the same period were ₹13.04 crore, ₹12.40 crore, ₹16.08 crore, ₹12.81 crore and ₹4.80 crore, respectively.
Hindustan Times received ₹12.66 crore, ₹11.25 crore, ₹13.88 crore, ₹9.10 crore and ₹4.21 crore across the five financial years.
Print Remains Part of Government Communication
The figures highlight the continuing role of newspapers and print media in government communication, even as advertising increasingly spans television, digital and other media platforms.
Government print advertising provides an important revenue stream for newspaper publishers and supports the wider print-media ecosystem, including printing presses, paper suppliers, ink manufacturers, prepress operations, distribution networks and other service providers.
The data also illustrates the scale at which large newspaper publishers continue to participate in the government advertising market.
An earlier parliamentary response cited in reports showed that total government advertising expenditure across print, television and digital media amounted to ₹5,987.46 crore between 2014-15 and 2024-25.
For the printing industry, continued government and institutional advertising represents one component of demand for newspaper production, particularly for large-volume offset printing operations.