Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Whether this sets a long-needed, healthy trend isn’t clear yet but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has surely set the bar. Today he ordered all government departments not to use his photographs in advertisements they release. The message is clear: refrain from using public money for personal propaganda or image-building of Ministers.
In a note to all departments and ministries, the PMO has said: ‘‘The PM has desired that his photo need not be inserted in advertisements released by various ministries except in the case of events of national importance or national occasions. (Independence Day or Republic Day)’’
The move comes after the NDA government spent almost Rs 200 crore on the India Shining campaign and it was a campaign which, even BJP bigwigs have admitted, did more harm to the NDA government than good.
Traditionally, ministries have been known to release ads with photos of their respective ministers sanctifying it with the presence of a photograph of the Prime Minister.
Even in cases where ministries don’t have enough funds for publicity, there have been instances where PSUs are asked to pick up tabs for advertising.
In fact, even navratnas often have had to bear expenditure for releasing ads with pictures of their ministers with the PM’s photograph.
