LS polls 2024: Centre to appoint media consultants as part of publicity outreach

By Animesh Singh
New Delhi, April 12 With the 2024 Lok Sabha elections just a year away, the government plans to strengthen its media outreach by hiring consultants on a short term basis till May 2024, who will be stationed in all state capitals and help in effectively promoting the various welfare schemes and measures initiated by it in the last nine years.

The aim behind the initiative is to portray the pro-poor and common man friendly image of the government, by highlighting the several people-oriented schemes of the Centre, sources privy to developments said.

According to a blueprint which has been prepared by the PMO, highly placed sources said that these consultants will be functioning along with the Press Information Bureau (PIB) officers, who are already deputed in states' capitals and various cities all over the country.

The government has also approached retired information service officers of the ministry of information and broadcasting as well as professionals from the field of communication for the major outreach programme, to work as consultants till May 2024, the tenure of the present NDA government, sources said.

As per the programme, important state capitals like Mumbai, Chennai and Gandhinagar are likely to have as many as three such media consultants, who will work in tandem with PIB officers of those regions.

These consultants will help prepare strategies for sending across an effective message of the positive impact among the masses, of various welfare schemes and initiatives of the Centre during the last nine years, especially those for the poor, women and children.

Schemes like Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana and MUDRA loans among others, are expected to be aggressively highlighted through these consultants as well as PIB's own media wings in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

ans/pgh