The government has spent Rs 1,856.82 crore on advertisements in newspapers and magazines in the last three years, Parliament was informed Monday.

The Bureau of Outreach and Communication or BOC has spent the amount for communication campaigns in print media on behalf of various ministries and departments, Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore said in reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

The number of release orders was 20,111 in 2015-2016 and the cost was Rs 579.88 crore, the next year the number of orders were 21,576 and the cost was Rs 628.04 crore.

In 2017-2018, there were 11,798 release orders while the cost was Rs 648.82 crore.

The BOC is the nodal agency of the government for advertising by various ministries and organisations, including public sector undertakings and autonomous bodies.