NAHARLAGUN, May 15: Information & Public Relations Minister Bamang Felix has exhorted the district information and public relations officers (DIPROs) to be proactive in disseminating information about the programmes, policies, and activities of the government.
Highlighting the role of the DIPROs and PROs in creating wide publicity on the developmental and welfare programmes of the government through various mediums, Felix urged them to discharge their duties with missionary zeal.
He was addressing a review meeting with DIPROs at the civil secretariat here on Tuesday.
“The role of the IPR officers should not only be confined to communicate and disseminate information to the people. They should be more proactive and involve themselves in creating public awareness about various flagships schemes of the government,” Felix said.
He said crores of rupees are lying unspent in the state at various levels, “only due to lack of awareness among the people about the process of availing the benefits of those schemes.”
With regard to shortage of infrastructure for the DIPROs, the minister said the government is planning to meet not only the infrastructure needs but also to build the capacity of the officers by providing them with training.
“The government is working on a strategy to strengthen the department and its working system,” he said.
He asked the directorate of public relations to expedite the process of framing recruitment rules for the officers and creating posts and projection units wherever required, besides addressing infrastructural needs like office and residential buildings, vehicles, PA systems, etc.
IPR Parliamentary Secretary Mama Natung said, “Since the information and public relations department is the mouthpiece of the government, the DIPROs should involve themselves in IEC campaigns to make the rural populace aware about government schemes.”
He suggested organizing district level awareness campaigns on flagship and centrally-sponsored schemes, involving panchayat leaders, gaon burahs, students, and the general public.
Natung informed that the state government has earmarked Rs 4 crore for completion of the Soochna Bhavan, and expressed hope that the building would be completed within this year.
IPR Secretary Sonam Chombay assured to provide smart phones and other equipment to all the officers for smooth dissemination of information.
He advised the officers to be proactive and explore every possible medium, including the social media, for dissemination of information. He advised the officers to open Facebook and Twitter accounts of their respective districts.
IPR Special Secretary Himangsu Gupta highlighted the proposed ‘Arunachal Raising’ campaign – set to be launched on 7 June – through a PowerPoint presentation. He asked the officers to reach out to the people in a holistic manner through various mediums.
DIPROs and public relations officers of various districts shared their achievements and the constraints faced by them, during the meeting. (DIPR)