Centre plans communication policy

Chennai: The Narendra Modi-led NDA government will soon come out with a national communication policy as the effective communication holds key for the overall development of the country, Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu said here on Thursday.

“By and large, Indian media has been progressive and constructive. Media is the link between government and the people. So, you have greater responsibility. The I&B Ministry is in the process of formulating a national policy on communication,” he said.

Inaugurating the Regional Editors’ Conference organised by the Press Information Bureau here, Naidu said he had taken over the Information and Broadcasting department recently and told the officials to formulate the communication policy.

“The government, under the leadership of Modi, has placed communication as a critical component in the governance of the nation. There is a need for the government communicators to adopt innovative ways to reach out to each and every individual in the country about government policies and programmes,” he said.

Noting that media landscape in the country underwent a tectonic shift following the emergence of 24x7 instant communication process, he said: “Earlier, there was one TV channel… our own Doordarshan. But today, we have competition. I do not know whether it is healthy or unhealthy competition,” he said, referring to the growing number of channels.

There has been a revolutionary change in information technology as well as in instant information and communication, he said. On handling of sensitive issues, he said, “The challenges before the media are to ensure quality, credibility along with the responsibility to play a role of an educator. Whenever there is any crisis, media has to behave in a sober manner by self-regulating.

At times, I feel sad due to competition and in the race for TRPs, sensationalism has become the order of the day,” the Minister said. Later speaking at a session, Naidu who is also Urban Development Minister, said that the NDA government inherited not only a derailed economy but also a crumbling urban landscape adversely impacting the quality of life and economic activities.

“Prime Minister Modi asked us to convert these challenges into opportunities and a comprehensive action plan has been launched to recast the urban landscape with the involvement of citizens, urban local bodies and the States, through a paradigm shift in the approach,” Naidu explained.

According to him, the central government has committed to provide central assistance of Rs 113,143 crore for improving urban infrastructure, excluding housing infrastructure, which is 333 per cent increase over Rs 33,902 crore that was approved under 10 years of JUUNRM during 2004-14.

By P Madhusudhan Reddy