Officers to undergo training on using social media

The Delhi government, known for its social media presence with the most active face being Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal himself, has decided to provide training to its officers on how to use Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp.

Information and Technology Department of the Delhi government has been directed to design the training course on social media which the officers will soon undertake.

A senior government official said the move is intended to provide platform to officers so that they get in touch with ministers on social media frequently.

Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues -- Manish Sisodia, PWD, Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Water Minister Kapil Mishra, Labour Minister Gopal Rai and Environment Minister Imran Hussain are most active on social media and they also often express their views through Twitter and Facebook.

The official said earlier this month when a CD surfaced purportedly showing former Women and Child Development Minister Sandeep Kumar in a compromising position with a woman, Kejriwal had announced his sacking on Twitter.

The issue came to the fore when Deputy CM Manish Sisodia recently held a meeting with the Information Technology Department where he was informed by the officers that the department at present provides basic computer training -- MS Power Point, MS Excel and Microsoft Word.

"At the meeting, the Deputy CM had observed that the department should also give training on use of social media to officers working with the Delhi government as part of the existing computer course," an official told PTI.

The official said that most of government employees do not know how to use WhatsApp.

The official also cited an instance when the Deputy CM was recently scheduled to go to an event and asked an officer to send him location of the event on his WhatsApp, he was not able to send the same.

In the past too, Kejriwal had directed his ministers on Twitter on several occasions whenever people complained to him through micro-blogging site.