Modi 'victory' hoardings to be displayed at 578 free sites across Rajasthan, agencies shortlisted

By Rosamma Thomas*
The joint director of the Department of Information and Public Relations of Rajasthan has digitally signed an order approving over Rs 15 lakh for installing large flex banners as part of the outdoor publicity of Narendra Modi’s third term as prime minister. A list of firms allotted the task of putting up these hoardings, that will come up at 578 sites across the state, where such hoardings can be erected for no fees, was issued on June 10, 2024.
The order lists the firms allotted the contract for this work – Alfed Graphics will install these in Ajmer, Nagaur and Tonk districts; NS Publicity Private Ltd will set these up in Jaipur and Bhilwara; Venture Advertising will put up the hoardings in Hanumangarh, Sriganganagar and Bikaner; Pioneer Publicity Corporation will handle the hoardings for Churu and Jhunjunu. In Bharatpur, Dhaulpur, Sawai Madhopur and Dausa, Premier Printing Press has been assigned the task; for Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jalore and Pali, Jodhana Marketing Company will handle the task. In Udaipur, Sirohi, Rajsamand, Pratapgarh, Dungarpur and Banswara, High-Tech Digital Plates Pvt Ltd will handle the task; Ambujam will do it for Kota, Chittorgarh, Bundi, Baran and Jhalawar; Rainbow Offset Printers will handle the task in Alwar and Sikar. The firms will be paid Rs 12.45 per square foot of the hoarding, and sizes of hoardings are either 400 sq ft or 200 sq feet.

As ordinary people struggle, it is remarkable that the state government should act with such alacrity to put up large hoardings

It is noteworthy that the state has nearly 90 lakh pensioners who receive pensions from the state government – besides the poor elderly, the handicapped, single women and aged farmers are eligible for pensions under the social security provisions of the state government. In 2019, the pension of old age pensioners above 75 years of age was fixed at Rs 1000 per month, while those less than 75 years and receiving pension would get Rs 750 per month.

Rajasthan also has a high burden of diseases like silicosis – over 25,000 people are registered as silicosis patients on the state government’s silicosis grant disbursement website; there are nearly 300 patient payments pending, according to the data uploaded on the site.
As ordinary people struggle, it is remarkable that the state government should act with such alacrity to put up large hoardings of an electoral victory marred by suspicion of foul play, where the prime minister and his party failed to win the majority of the seats despite the abject surrender of institutions meant to uphold democracy and a level playing field for contesting parties.

---

*Freelance journalist

Comments

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

Authoritarian destruction of the public sphere in Ecuador: Trumpism in action?

By Pilar Troya Fernández The situation in Ecuador under Daniel Noboa's government is one of authoritarianism advancing on several fronts simultaneously to consolidate neoliberalism and total submission to the US international agenda. These are not isolated measures, but rather a coordinated strategy that combines job insecurity, the dismantling of the welfare state, unrestricted access to mining, the continuation of oil exploitation without environmental considerations, the centralization of power through the financial suffocation of local governments, and the systematic criminalization of all forms of opposition and popular organization.

The golden crop: How turmeric is transforming women's lives in tribal India

By Vikas Meshram* When the lush green fields of turmeric sway in the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, it is not merely a spice crop — it is the golden glow of self-reliance. In villages where even basic spices once had to be bought from the market, the very soil today is yielding a prosperity that has transformed the lives of thousands of families. At the heart of this transformation is the initiative of Vaagdhara, which has linked turmeric with livelihoods, nutrition, and village self-governance — gram swaraj.

Echoes of Vietnam and Chile: The devastating cost of the I-A Axis in Iran

By Ram Puniyani The recent joint military actions by Israel and the United States against Iran have been devastating. Like all wars, this conflict is brutal to its core, leaving a trail of human suffering in its wake. The stated pretext for this aggression—the brutality of the Ayatollah Khamenei regime and its nuclear ambitions—clashes sharply with the reality of the diplomatic landscape. Iran had expressed a willingness to remain at the negotiating table, signaling a readiness to concede points emerging from dialogue.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

The price of silence: Why Modi won’t follow Shastri, appeal for sacrifice

By Arundhati Dhuru, Sandeep Pandey* In 1965, as India grappled with war and a crippling food crisis, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri faced a United States that used wheat shipments under the PL-480 agreement as a lever to dictate Indian foreign policy. Shastri’s response remains legendary: he appealed to the nation to skip one meal a day. Millions of middle-class households complied, choosing temporary hunger over the sacrifice of national dignity. Today, India faces a modern equivalent in the energy sector, yet the leadership’s response stands in stark contrast to that era of self-reliance.

False claim? What Venezuela is witnessing is not surrender but a tactical retreat

By Manolo De Los Santos The early morning hours of January 3, 2026, marked an inflection point in Venezuela and Latin America’s centuries-long struggle for self-determination and independence. Operation Absolute Resolve, ordered by the Trump administration, constituted the most brutal and direct military assault on a sovereign state in the region in recent memory. In a shocking operation that left hundreds dead, President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were illegally kidnapped from Venezuelan soil and transported to the United States, where they now face fabricated charges in a New York federal detention facility. In the two months since this act of war, a torrent of speculation has emerged from so-called experts and pundits across the political spectrum. This has followed three main lines: One . The operation’s success indicated treason at the highest levels of the Bolivarian Revolution. Two . Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and the remaining leadership have abandone...

Search This Blog