Kumbh Authority Minutes: ₹16 Crore for Flag Hoisting Publicity Across India and Abroad, a ₹43 Crore Media Plan Held to ₹20 Crore, and ₹69 Lakh More for IIT Bombay
The Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority approved ₹16 crore, including GST, for a 21 to 31 October publicity campaign for the flag hoisting through the state's information department, according to the minutes of its 21 October meeting, posted on the Divisional Commissioner's website on 28 October. It also cleared the District Information Office's ₹43 crore publicity plan, but only subject to technical approval and a ₹20 crore ceiling set by the apex committee. A third decision adds ₹69 lakh plus GST to IIT Bombay's fee because the value of the works it checks has gone up by ₹175 crore.
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The Kumbh Mela Authority (NTKMA) has published the minutes of its review meeting of 21 October 2026, held by video conference under its chairman, Divisional Commissioner Dr Praveen Gedam, with Kumbh Mela Commissioner Shekhar Singh as member secretary. CONFIRMED: everything below is from the official minutes, posted on the Divisional Commissioner's website on 28 October. The meeting took three decisions, all approved unanimously.
1. ₹16 crore to publicise the flag hoisting
- What: a campaign by the state's Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR) for the 31 October flag hoisting, at state, national and international level.
- Channels listed: print, electronic media (Akashvani, Doordarshan, FM, news channels), outdoor (hoardings, LED screens, displays at airports and railway stations), on-ground activities, tableaux (chitraraths), social and new media.
- When: 21 to 31 October 2026.
- Cost: about ₹14 crore plus GST, ₹16 crore in all, subject to normal tender rules.
- The District Information Officer, Nashik must get permissions for private hoardings from the municipal corporation and PWD in time.
2. A ₹43 crore District Information Office plan, held to ₹20 crore
- What: publicity infrastructure and advertising by the District Information Office, Nashik for the run-up to the Simhastha and the parva (bathing) period.
- Examples in the minutes: media galleries, towers and tin sheds at Ramkund and Kushavarta, food and transport for VVIP guests and journalists, video cameras, computers, printers, tablets and TVs for three media centres, and ads on Doordarshan, local cable, buses and in newspapers.
- Proposed: ₹43 crore (infrastructure ₹10.15 crore, equipment ₹2.45 crore, advertising ₹30.40 crore).
- But: the proposal has no technical approval yet, and the apex committee has capped this activity at ₹20 crore. The authority approved it on condition that technical approval is obtained and actual spending stays within ₹20 crore.
3. ₹69 lakh more for IIT Bombay
- In May 2026 the authority agreed to pay IIT Bombay ₹3.90 crore, 0.39% of about ₹1,000 crore of works, for technical checks on the quality of work.
- The revised cost of those works, now fixed, has gone up by ₹175 crore. At the same 0.39%, the fee comes to about ₹4.59 crore.
- The authority approved the extra ₹69 lakh plus GST.
What this means for you
- None of this changes dates, routes or entry rules for 31 October. It shows where some of the money is going: the flag hoisting publicity alone is budgeted at ₹16 crore.
- The minutes do not say how much of the ₹16 crore has been spent so far.
- For the overall Kumbh budget, see our ₹22,425 crore plan story. For the 31 October programme, see the Dhwajarohan 2026 hub.
