The forgotten ticker

At a time when the government has splurged on advertisements in newspapers and television channels eulogising the achievements of UPA-2 (reportedly for a hefty sum of Rs 100 crore), a small but significant addition to the media blitzkrieg seems to have escaped the government’s eye. An electronic ticker set up in front of one wing of Shastri Bhavan, which houses the Press Information Bureau, has been non-functional for years. In fact, some insiders said it stopped working within days of its inauguration. The news ticker, which resembled the one in front of the All India Radio office in Parliament Street, was meant to make the public aware of the latest developments and act as a general first-hand information source. Yet, in its zeal to spread the good word about its governance, the government has overlooked this small but significant opportunity to bolster its image.