One year of Modi govt: Doordarshan told to capture mood of people

The message of ‘good work’ done by the National Democratic Alliance government must be loud and clear in the run-up to its first anniversary — that’s the most pressing assignment right now for the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry and the government’s publicity wing, the Press Information Bureau. The focus will be only on achievements and success stories as the Narendra Modi regime completes one year on May 26, a source said.

Public broadcaster Doordarshan has been instructed to take bytes from the common man. The idea is to convey the positive steps taken by the government through the masses, according to an official. That will also be a barometer for the reach of the government’s programmes, he pointed out. Though negative feedback from people on the streets was a possibility, Doordarshan might not air such views.

The effort is to capture an upbeat mood of the nation. Yet, the Modi government wants to do things differently including marking the first anniversary. For instance, it does not want to celebrate milestones such as its predecessor, the United Progressive Alliance, according to an official. “But it surely wants to take stock of things after one year of governance.”

With about a month to go, back-to-back meetings have begun with various media wings of the government. I&B secretary Bimal Julka is spearheading the exercise to ensure the message of ‘good work’ is communicated through all platforms — primarily via social media, Doordarshan, All India Radio.

Apart from Modi’s direct and social media interactions with people, the ministers’ Twitter handles will be used widely for the anniversary achievement blitz. In fact, infographics denoting multiple success stories since May 26, 2014, will be put up on the Twitter account of minister of state for I&B, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, according to an official. Facebook page of the media wings will also be used to spread the message.