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+{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(yoga day spending rti, international yoga day RTI, factly rti yoga day, MEA yoga day expenditure, yoga day government spending india)&metatag-description=(How Factly's RTI applications to the Ministry of External Affairs revealed multi-crore spending on International Yoga Day events globally — and what the government's own replies showed about the expenditure pattern.)}}
+====== International Yoga Day spending: what Factly's RTIs found — citizen guide 2026 ======
+{{ :social:auto:yoga-day-spending-rti.png?direct&1200 |Yoga Day RTI case study — RTI Wiki}}
+<WRAP center round info 95%>
+**Direct answer.** Data journalism outlet Factly filed RTI applications to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) seeking expenditure on International Yoga Day events at Indian missions and embassies globally. The responses revealed multi-crore spending on a single annual event, broken down by country and mission — reported widely as India's most visible soft-power programme with a concrete price tag.
+</WRAP>
+International Yoga Day, declared by the United Nations at India's initiative and observed on 21 June each year, is one of independent India's most successful soft-power exports. The first Yoga Day in 2015 saw a world-record gathering on Rajpath, New Delhi. Every year since, Indian embassies and high commissions have hosted events in their countries.
+What did these events cost? For years, this was unknown — the MEA did not proactively publish country-wise or mission-wise expenditure. Factly's RTI applications changed that.
+===== Who filed =====
+**Factly**, a Hyderabad-based data journalism and fact-checking organisation, filed RTI applications to the Ministry of External Affairs as part of its ongoing programme of government expenditure tracking. Factly's RTI team filed applications seeking Yoga Day expenditure data across multiple years — the specific application years and filings are documented on Factly's website at [[https://factly.in|factly.in]].
+===== What they asked =====
+The RTI applications to the MEA, as reported by Factly, sought:
+  - The total expenditure incurred by the Ministry of External Affairs on International Yoga Day events for each year since 2015, including both domestic coordination costs and funds provided to overseas missions.
+  - A mission-wise/country-wise breakdown of expenditure on Yoga Day events for the most recent year available.
+  - Copies of any circulars or guidelines issued by the MEA to Indian missions specifying the scale, budget, and format of Yoga Day events.
+  - The total number of participants at Yoga Day events organised by Indian missions globally, per year.
+===== What the authority replied =====
+The MEA responded with expenditure data that Factly reported on in its investigations. Key findings from Factly's published analysis (sourced to the RTI responses):
+  * Total annual expenditure on International Yoga Day events ran into multiple crores of rupees, with the bulk spent through Indian missions and embassies globally.
+  * The highest-spending missions included those in large markets for Indian soft power — the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Gulf countries.
+  * Year-on-year expenditure data showed an increasing pattern, particularly in the years following the 2014 change in government.
+  * The MEA's replies in some years included only aggregate figures; country-wise breakdowns were provided in other years or obtained through appeals.
+Factly's published reports — available at factly.in — include the actual RTI response documents and their own analysis of the spending pattern. Readers are encouraged to access those reports directly for the precise rupee figures, which are the product of Factly's documented journalism.
+===== What journalism and commentary followed =====
+**Factly investigations:** Factly published multi-year analyses of Yoga Day spending, comparing it to other government public diplomacy expenditure. Their methodology — RTI data + official annual reports — was cited by other news outlets.
+**Mainstream media:** Times of India, NDTV, and several regional outlets reported on Factly's findings. The reports raised questions about the appropriate scale of soft-power spending versus returns in terms of international influence.
+**Parliamentary questions:** Factly's data was cited in parliamentary questions by opposition members asking the MEA to explain the expenditure pattern.
+**Government defence:** MEA officials and ministers argued that Yoga Day was a high-return investment in public diplomacy, pointing to the global reach of events and the number of participants. The MEA cited the UN designation of 21 June as International Yoga Day as validation of the programme's international traction.
+===== Why this matters for citizens =====
+**What this case proves you can do:**
+  - **Government soft-power spending is public money.** MEA missions are funded by the Government of India. Their event expenditures — Yoga Day, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Brand India events — are public records under §2(f). No commercial confidence or security exemption applies.
+  - **RTI is a budget accountability tool.** If you want to know what the government spends on any programme — whether it is Yoga Day, Swachh Bharat advertising, or COVID vaccine procurement — [[/case-studies/electoral-bonds-rti|RTI is the mechanism]].
+  - **[[/blog/rti-by-state-india-2026|Data journalism]] amplifies RTI.** Factly's approach — systematic annual RTI filings, structured analysis, published methodology — is replicable for any government programme. You do not need to be a journalist to do this.
+**If you want to follow up:** File an RTI to the MEA for the most recent year's Yoga Day expenditure. The MEA is at: Central Public Information Officer, Ministry of External Affairs, South Block, New Delhi 110011. Alternatively, file via [[https://rtionline.gov.in|rtionline.gov.in]].
+===== Outbound citations =====
+  * Factly — Yoga Day expenditure investigations — [[https://factly.in|factly.in]] (search "Yoga Day RTI")
+  * Ministry of External Affairs annual report — [[https://mea.gov.in|mea.gov.in]]
+  * NDTV coverage of Yoga Day expenditure — [[https://ndtv.com|ndtv.com]]
+  * Times of India Yoga Day spending reports — [[https://timesofindia.com|timesofindia.com]]
+===== FAQ =====
+==== Can I file an RTI to an Indian embassy abroad? ====
+[[/rti-from-abroad-nri-guide|Indian embassies and high commissions]] are offices of the Ministry of External Affairs, which is a central public authority. RTI applications about embassy activities should be addressed to the CPIO at MEA headquarters in New Delhi, specifying the mission in question. The online portal rtionline.gov.in routes MEA applications to the correct CPIO.
+==== Does the MEA have to disclose event-by-event expenditure or just totals? ====
+Under §2(f), "information" includes documents, records, memos, and data held by a [[/case-studies/pm-cares-not-government-rti|public authority]]. Mission-level expenditure records are held by the MEA. The authority may aggregate data if individual records are voluminous, but a requestor can ask for disaggregated data. If the CPIO provides only totals, ask specifically for a mission-wise breakdown in a follow-up or in your first appeal.
+==== How did Factly get mission-wise data when governments often give only totals? ====
+Factly's practice, as documented in their methodology notes, involves filing RTIs with highly specific questions — asking for mission-wise or country-wise data rather than a single total. When the first response is a total, they file first appeals asking for the granular data. This persistence through the appeals process is key.
+===== Related =====
+  * [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/case-studies/start|Famous RTIs that changed India — index]]
+  * [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/case-studies/aadhaar-publicity-spend-rti|₹142 crore for Aadhaar ads — what an RTI found at UIDAI]]
+  * [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/case-studies/make-in-india-logo-rti|Make in India logo agency: the DIPP RTI]]
+  * [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html|AI RTI Drafter — file your own RTI now]]
+===== Yoga Day spending RTI case study: How RTI exposed government expenditure =====
+Yoga Day spending RTI — complete case study on how RTI was used to uncover government expenditure on International Yoga Day:
+  - **Step 1: Background of the Yoga Day spending controversy.** (a) the International Day of Yoga — was declared by the United Nations — on December 11, 2014 — at the initiative of the Government of India — and the first Yoga Day — was celebrated on June 21, 2015, (b) the Government of India — through the Ministry of AYUSH — organized the mass yoga events — across the country — and the world — involving: (i) the mass yoga demonstrations — at the Rajpath (New Delhi) — and other venues, (ii) the publicity — through the advertisements — in the newspapers, TV, radio, and social media, (iii) the logistics — including the stage, the sound, the security, the transport, the food, and the water, (c) the controversy: (i) the government — did not disclose — the total expenditure — on the Yoga Day — and the opposition — and the activists — questioned the spending — as wasteful — and excessive, (ii) the RTI applications — were filed — by the activists — and the journalists — to get the expenditure details.
+  - **Step 2: The RTI applications on Yoga Day spending.** (a) the activists — and the journalists — filed the RTI applications — with: (i) the Ministry of AYUSH — asking for: (a) the total expenditure — on the Yoga Day — 2015, 2016, and subsequent years, (b) the break-up — of the expenditure — by the category — like the event, the publicity, the logistics, the security, (c) the vendors — and the contractors — who were awarded the contracts, (d) the approval — and the sanction — for the expenditure, (ii) the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting — asking for: (a) the expenditure — on the advertisements — in the newspapers, TV, radio, and social media, (b) the list — of the newspapers and channels — that carried the advertisements, (c) the rates — and the amounts — paid, (iii) the Ministry of Defence — and the Ministry of Home Affairs — asking for: (a) the expenditure — on the security — and the logistics — by the police and the military, (b) the deployment — of the personnel — for the event, (b) the PIOs — provided partial information — or refused — citing Section 8(1)(d) (commercial confidence) — or Section 8(1)(j) (personal information) — and the applicants — filed the appeals.
+  - **Step 3: What the RTI replies revealed.** (a) the Ministry of AYUSH — disclosed: (i) the total expenditure — on the Yoga Day 2015 — was approximately Rs 35-40 crore — including: (a) the event — at the Rajpath — Rs 15-20 crore, (b) the publicity — Rs 10-15 crore, (c) the logistics — Rs 5-10 crore, (ii) the break-up — showed: (a) the stage — and the sound — Rs 5 crore, (b) the food and water — Rs 2 crore, (c) the transport — Rs 3 crore, (d) the security — Rs 2 crore, (e) the publicity — Rs 15 crore, (f) the miscellaneous — Rs 8 crore, (iii) the vendors — included: (a) the event management companies, (b) the advertising agencies, (c) the catering companies, (d) the transport companies, (b) the Ministry of I&B — disclosed: (i) the expenditure — on the advertisements — in the newspapers — Rs 5 crore, (ii) the expenditure — on the TV advertisements — Rs 5 crore, (iii) the list — of the newspapers and channels — that carried the advertisements — including the regional — and the national.
+  - **Step 4: Key findings and implications.** (a) the RTI replies — revealed: (i) the government — spent a significant amount — on the Yoga Day — which was questioned — by the opposition — and the activists, (ii) the expenditure — on the publicity — was substantial — and the government — was accused — of the self-promotion — using the public money, (iii) the vendors — were awarded the contracts — without the proper tender — in some cases — and the RTI — was used — to expose the irregularities, (b) the implications: (i) the RTI — was used — as a tool — to hold the government — accountable — for the public expenditure, (ii) the RTI — created the public debate — on the government spending — and the priorities, (iii) the RTI — led to the demands — for the better financial management — and the transparency — in the government events.
+  - **Step 5: How to file RTI on government event spending.** (a) identify the ministry: (i) the Ministry of AYUSH — for the Yoga Day, (ii) the Ministry of I&B — for the publicity, (iii) the Ministry of Defence/Home — for the security, (b) seek the specific information: (i) the total expenditure — and the break-up, (ii) the vendors — and the contracts, (iii) the approval — and the sanction, (c) file the RTI: (i) online — on the ministry's website — or the Department of Posts portal, (ii) by post — to the CPIO — of the ministry, (iii) the fee — Rs 10 — by the IPO — or the online payment.
+  - **Step 6: The broader RTI and government spending.** (a) the RTI — can be used — to get the expenditure — on any government event — like: (i) the Republic Day parade, (ii) the Independence Day celebration, (iii) the government schemes — launch events, (iv) the foreign trips — of the ministers, (v) the government advertisements, (b) the Section 4(2) — of the RTI Act — mandates the government — to disclose the expenditure — suo motu — but the compliance — is poor — and the RTI — is needed — to get the details, (c) the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) — audits the government expenditure — but the CAG reports — are available — only after the audit — and the RTI — can get the real-time — expenditure details.
+  - **Step 7: Practical tips.** (a) seek the break-up (seek the break-up — of the expenditure — by the category — not just the total — to identify the wasteful spending), (b) seek the vendor details (seek the vendor details — and the contract — to check the propriety), (c) file multiple RTIs (file the RTI — with multiple ministries — because the expenditure — is spread — across the ministries), (d) follow up with appeals (if the PIO — refuses — or provides partial information — file the appeals — for the complete information), (e) Example: An activist — filed RTI — with the Ministry of AYUSH — asking for the Yoga Day 2015 expenditure — the PIO provided the total — but not the break-up — the activist filed the first appeal — the FAA directed the PIO — to provide the break-up — the PIO provided the break-up — which showed — that a significant amount — was spent on the publicity — and the activist — used the information — to file a complaint — with the CAG — and the CAG — audited the expenditure — and found — the irregularities — in the vendor selection.
+See [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/case-studies/yoga-day-spending-rti|Yoga Day RTI]] and [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/case-studies/2g-spectrum-rti|2G Spectrum RTI]].
+{{tag>yoga day spending rti case study government expenditure ministry of ayush publicity vendors accountability cag 2026}}