Pro-poor, farmer and jobs signature tune of Narendra Modi government first anniversary
The I&B ministry is planning to send teams across the country to talk to people and “report” these success stories.
The NDA government, which will complete one year in office on May 26, is preparing to counter the Opposition’s ‘suit boot ki sarkar’ jibe by playing up its “pro-poor, pro-farmer and employment generation programmes”.
In a missive to all government ministries, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has asked them to focus on the “common man” and make a list of “quantifiable” benefits that have been provided to various sections of the society, including the under-privileged, the youth, farmers, students and women. The I&B ministry is planning to send teams across the country to talk to people and “report” these success stories. “They have been asked to ensure people speak candidly,” an official who did not wish to be named told The Indian Express.
While 49 ministries had already furnished some information on the work done by them in the last one year, most of them have been asked to rework their submissions and send them in a more “granular form, reflecting grassroot action”. The measures taken by the government in the last one year will be publicised through all platforms — TV, radio, social media and print media — through stories, info-graphics, tables, photographs and videos, the official said.
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“It is time to make people see how the initiatives are translating into action at grassroot level. A compendium is being prepared and it will be translated into all languages. The ministries have been told to prioritise the initiatives taken by them and state the progress made,” the official added.
After coming to power last year, the NDA government launched schemes such as the Jan Dhan Yojana, Swachh Bharat, Namami Gange, Make in India and Digital India, while liberalising the foreign direct investment (FDI) regime for sectors including insurance, railways and defence.
However, it has faced flak for its alleged “anti-farmer” Land Acquisition Bill amid rising farmers suicides as a result of hailstorms and unseasonal rains. It has also been criticised for its alleged divergence from the growth agenda and controversial remarks by some of its MPs.
It is against this backdrop that the publicity arm of the government has told all departments to “concentrate on success stories, which can be either in bullet points or between 300-600 words”. The departments have been told to make a special mention of the benefits received by specific states by getting voices from across the country.
Source:: Indian Express