Bhubaneswar: Odisha will formulate a dedicated social media policy for government communication and establish a robust digital information network connecting district offices with the state headquarters, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said on Friday.
The state government will also introduce a strict fact-checking mechanism to counter misinformation and rumours circulating on digital platforms, Majhi said while addressing Information Service Officers on the emerging trends of social media at the Lok Seva Bhawan Convention Centre.
Emphasising the need to adapt to changing communication trends, the Chief Minister said social media and artificial intelligence (AI) platforms had become integral to public engagement, particularly among younger generations. Government communication systems must keep pace with these developments to ensure effective outreach, he added.
Describing the present period as an era of social media and the creator economy, Majhi said mobile phones had evolved into multipurpose platforms for news, entertainment and communication. Government information officers, therefore, must move beyond issuing press releases and develop expertise in modern communication strategies.
He stressed the importance of social media monitoring and social listening to understand public opinion, identify people’s concerns and respond to emerging issues promptly.
The Chief Minister said government communication should be guided by three principles — accuracy, speed and simplicity. While factual errors in official data and statistics were unacceptable, delays in disseminating information could create a vacuum that might be exploited to spread misleading narratives, he cautioned.
Majhi also called for greater use of storytelling to communicate the impact of government schemes, saying the experiences of beneficiaries could demonstrate the effectiveness of public service delivery more convincingly than statistics alone.
Flagging the challenges posed by deepfakes, cloned voices and AI-generated videos, he urged officials to verify information before sharing it. He also called on Information Service Officers to continuously upgrade their skills in digital communication, fact-checking and video content creation.
The Chief Minister assured the officers of government support for capacity-building and infrastructure development across districts and at the state headquarters. He directed departmental officials to submit detailed proposals to strengthen the social media system.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg said government officers must go beyond information dissemination and communicate welfare initiatives and development programmes to the public with sincerity and commitment. Accurate communication, she said, would help strengthen public trust in the government.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Information and Public Relations Department Hemant Sharma, in his welcome address, described the department’s officers as the public face of the government and underlined their role in communicating government policies and development initiatives effectively.
At the programme, Majhi launched the ‘e-Sanchar App’, developed by the department to make the advertisement management system more transparent and accountable. He also unveiled Lokasamparka, the annual magazine published by the Information Service Association.
Additional Director General of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Akhil Kumar Mishra, attended the programme. Departmental Director Sanjay Kumar Biswal delivered the vote of thanks.
Information Service Officers from districts, subdivisions and various departments participated in the event.
