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Journalism of Courage
After failing to keep pace with the objectives spelt out in the National Common Minimum Programme and the poor ratings notched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet colleagues, ministries have been put on a weekly watch list.
A weekly report card on the ministries of Finance, Home, Defence, Agriculture, External Affairs, Rural Development, Social Justice and Empowerment will be submitted to the Cabinet Secretary as well as to the principal secretary to the Prime Minister.
Information officers of the Press Information Bureau posted at the ministries have been asked to prepare weekly reports on what their respective ministries are doing under the CMP and send a report to the cabinet secretary and the principal secretary to the Prime Minister. Concerned ministries have been requested to indicate a nodal officer/contact persons in their ministries to facilitate coordination.
Not just that, the autonomous Doordarshan has been asked to produce four-and-half minutes programmes based on the progress report. Ministries have been asked to indicate the focus areas and provide inputs to the programmes that will be produced by Doordarshan, leading to observers dubbing the initiatives as ‘‘India Shining-Part 2.’’
Ministries dealing with issues identified under the CMP have been requested to indicate their priorities and thrust areas. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry with several media units, including All India Radio, Doordarshan, the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity and the Photo Division, have been directed to coordinate and pool their resources for reaching out to people and inform them about the progress made by the Government.
