• Government’s Favoritism Towards Zero-TRP Channels Exposed
• Vyapam 2.0? Shivraj Government’s ₹100 Crore Channel Scandal Uncovered
• Media Manipulation Exposed: The Secret Payments to Low-Viewership News Channels
Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts News Exclusive
A massive media scam has rocked Madhya Pradesh, with allegations linking it to the infamous Vyapam scandal. An investigation by Sprouts News has uncovered that since 2012, the state government has been generously allocating funds to television channels with little to no viewership, while major national news channels struggle for advertising revenue. Even Doordarshan, Prime Minister Modi’s preferred government-run broadcaster, was left out of the six-figure payments distributed to select channels.
This alleged ₹100 crore scam has primarily benefited channel owners with criminal records—some of whom are currently in jail or facing serious charges. The controversy gained momentum after Congress MLA Bala Bachchan raised the issue in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly on December 8, 2015, through Starred Question No. 288. Following Sprouts News’ investigation, the state’s Principal Secretary of the Public Relations Department, S.K. Mishra, has now ordered a probe into the scandal.
Also Read: Thane Forest Transfer Scam: Crores Exchanged for Postings!
• Millions Handed to Suspicious Media Outlets
The Madhya Pradesh government distributed massive ad revenues to certain media houses while ignoring reputed national broadcasters. According to records reviewed by Sprouts News:
– Sahara Samay received ₹12.5 crore
– ETV Madhya Pradesh got ₹13 crore, while ETV Urdu was given ₹1 crore
– Bansal News received ₹11.57 crore
– Sadhna News MP got ₹8.78 crore
– Doordarshan, India’s national broadcaster, was allocated only ₹8 lakh
Even local cable operators were not left out. Hathway Indore received ₹50 lakh, Sudarshan News ₹14 lakh, and City Cable ₹84 lakh. Among national players, Times Now was given ₹1.39 crore, ABP News ₹12.76 crore, Zee Media ₹6.10 crore, and India News ₹8.68 crore. Shockingly, NDTV received a meager ₹12.84 lakh, while Bhaskar Multinet owner Sudhir Agarwal was paid ₹6.95 lakh.
• Government Funds Flowing to Criminally Accused Media Owners
The Sprouts News investigation reveals that several beneficiaries of this government largesse have dubious backgrounds. Some are either in jail or facing financial fraud charges:
– P7 News, owned by Kesar Singh, who is implicated in multiple financial crime cases, received ₹76 lakh.
– Chit fund company Sai Prasad Media Ltd., which has changed its name twice, received ₹23.33 crore. Its owner, Bhapkar, is currently lodged in Mumbai jail.
– News channels like Khabar Bharti, Bharat Samachar, and State News received ₹9 crore, ₹45 lakh, and ₹1 crore, respectively.
– A yet-to-be-launched channel, Dabang D Live, was granted ₹1 lakh in advance.
– Nikita Films, a production house masquerading as a news channel, was awarded ₹61 lakh.
Following Sprouts News’ exposé, the Principal Secretary of Madhya Pradesh’s Public Relations Department has ordered a full investigation into the scandal. With the controversy gaining momentum, the Shivraj government is facing yet another credibility crisis, drawing parallels to the Vyapam scam.
