New Delhi, Aug. 19 -- The government's spending on Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC) has jumped five-fold since its launch in 2018, when the expenditure stood at Rs.3.67 crore, to Rs.18.83 crore in 2025, according to the Union education ministry's data presented in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The highest expenditure on the PPC - held annually before the board examinations where Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with students, teachers and parents and guides the students on exam stress and preparation strategies - was reported in 2023 at Rs.27.70 crore. Responding to Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmaker Mala Roy's questions related to PPC, Union minister of state (MoS) for education Jayant Chaudhary said the "government has no plan to discontinue the event." Data shared by Chaudhary shows that government spending on Pariksha Pe Charcha rose steadily in its initial years, climbing from Rs.3.67 crore in 2018 to Rs.8.16 crore in 2022 - a nearly 122% increase in four years. The 2023 edition marked a sharp escalation, with expenditure jumping to Rs.27.70 crore, over three times higher than the previous year and the highest between 2018 and 2025. In contrast, costs subsequently scaled back, falling to Rs.16.83 crore in 2024 before edging up slightly to Rs.18.83 crore in 2025. The Centre incurs expenditure on various components of PPC, including hospitality for children travelling from all across the country. The data also shows that participation has expanded in the annual event since its inception, rising from just over 22,000 students, teachers and parents in 2018 to over 51.1 million in 2025. This surge has been accompanied by a steep fall in the per participant cost, which dropped from Rs.1,649 in 2018 to just Rs.3.68 in 2025. On August 4, PPC secured a Guinness World Record for most people registered on a citizen engagement platform in one month with over 35.3 million registrations....