State government's R-Day ad blooper on Maharashrtra Day in Marathi daily

Readers of a leading Marathi daily were stunned to see a government advertisement wishing them ''Republic Day'' instead of ''Maharashtra Day'' on Sunday.

The Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR), celebrating the 51st anniversary of the state's formation, had published advertisements in over 1,200 newspapers to mark the occasion.

The advertisement listed the achievements of the state government and had photos of chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who also holds charge of information and public relations, and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

Officials from the DGIPR were also shocked to see the goof-up in the daily.

They claimed that it was a mistake on the part of the newspaper, which had apparently downloaded old content from its website.