NEW DELHI: The government would have a specialized department to take its message to Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites after the union cabinet approved an Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s proposal to create a ‘New Media Wing.’
I&B Minister Manish Tewari told PTI that the cabinet has given approval for setting up of the new media wing and added it will be done entirely through the ministry’s resources.
Tewari said the Research Reference and Training Division (RRTD) of the Ministry would be restructured through an executive order and young officers of the Ministry would be deputed in the new wing.
“This will be a new mechanism. It will have an opt-in and opt-out option. Those who have their own capacity for dissemination of information can continue to do so. Others can utilize this department for taking their message to the social media platforms,” Tewari said.
He said the officials will have latest gadgets, including smartphones, to keep in touch with the latest developments on the social media.
Official sources said the RRTD would be renamed as the Bureau of New and Concurrent media and will be headed by an officer of Joint secretary level.
Sources said the new wing would work to create content, track and analyze trends, act as an early warning system and also on providing proper response on the new media.
An official release from the cabinet said the New Media Wing would address the communication and dissemination requirements of the government on social media platforms.
The proposal for establishment of New Media Wing has been drawn on the basis of the experience of the initiative undertaken by the Ministry recently, on a pilot basis to position itself on the social media platforms, the statement said. The expenditure for establishing the New Media Wing and the recurring expenditure would cost the exchequer Rs 22.5 crore during the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) which has been approved by the CCEA under Development Communication and Information Dissemination plan scheme of the I&B Ministry, the government statement said. -PTI
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