Rural Development Ministry to focus on social media

With Modi government focusing on social media presence in a big way, Rural Development Ministry has decided to go the whole hog on community websites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram to highlight its initiatives for rural India, and hire an agency for it.
In a communique, the ministry said it has decided to select a social media agency having experts with degrees in mass communication for social media management.
The agency to be selected has to be among the empanelled digital media agencies with the Department of Electronics and Information Technology.
Under the plan, two content developers will be deployed for each of three ministries---Rural development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation and one full time dedicated Project Manager and a designer at the Union Minister Birender Singh's office during the period of work.

The selected agency shall begin social media management for the Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation Birender Singh and all three ministries for two years, a term which can be further extended.
The decision comes days after a meeting of the Union Council of Ministers chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a review of the presence of various ministries on social media was made.

In earlier meetings also, the Prime Minister has been emphasizing the need to take the governments' achievements to people through various mediums including the social media.
In a communication issued this week, the ministry has asked agencies to upload their proposals by the afternoon of June 14.

The selected agency will have to create and subsequently maintain the official Facebook Page, Twitter Profile and YouTube Channel, Google plus, LinkedIn and Instagram of the Union Minister, the ministries of the corresponding schemes there.
The agency will also engage with users, regularly
organize online surveys on all platforms, publicize all festivals, cultural events, workshop, seminar and foundation days using all these platforms.
Besides, it will have to do query management as per which all the queries received on all the platforms must be replied to and addressed within 24 hours and they are also expected to maintain appropriate records.

The social media agency will also analyze comments, remarks about the minister and various programmes of the ministries in various national and international media like newspapers, magazines, blogs, social media platforms--both offline and online.
"The agency must submit weekly effectiveness analysis to the concerned authority on the effectiveness of the social media strategy. The agency must submit a analysis on the steps undertaken for overall promotion of programme of the ministries, on the social media platforms and the results achieved," the communique said.
It added that the ministry is in process to engage the media agency to utilize all social media platforms for creating awareness about the schemes and programmes of the Ministry as well as bringing a change in mindset and behaviour on issues relating to Rural Development, Water, Sanitation and Panchayati Raj.