Do government departments in Andhra Pradesh have favourite newspapers too? An advertisement published in the Andhra Jyothy newspaper on Wednesday has sparked commotion in official circles. Even IAS officers who saw the ad were reportedly shocked. The ad, issued officially by a government department — complete with the government logo and department name — prominently featured a large photo of Andhra Jyothy group’s Managing Director, Vemuri Radhakrishna, while the photos of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad were printed in stamp size!.It was officially mentioned that the ad was issued by the Stamps and Registrations Department. While giving an ad on the occasion of Andhra Jyothy’s anniversary is not wrong in itself, the way it was done — especially by showing the CM and Minister’s photos as tiny as stamps — has raised eyebrows.
On the other hand, the unusually large photo of Radhakrishna has left officials puzzled. “It’s hard to understand what message they were trying to convey through this,” an IAS officer expressed in surprise. Moreover, beside Radhakrishna’s photo, text about the Registrations Department was included. It’s common knowledge that newspapers that favour certain parties or governments often receive positive treatment in return — through advertisements or otherwise. However, in this case, the Stamps and Registrations Department itself directly issued a congratulatory message to “beloved Andhra Jyothy on its 23rd anniversary.” Adding to the oddity, the ad’s design even showed a piece of land cut like a cake on one side.
Since the coalition government came to power in Andhra Pradesh, there has been talk that the usual mention of the Information Department as the issuing authority on government ads has quietly disappeared. Earlier, even if any department issued its own ad, it was usually routed through or approved by the Information Department. Now, that system seems to have been done away with, according to discussions among officials. No one objects to the government giving an ad to Andhra Jyothy — but the manner in which the Stamps and Registrations Department issued this one is being described by officials as “highly inappropriate” and “damaging to the government’s image.”