3 min readNew DelhiAug 20, 2026 08:43 PM IST
First published on: Aug 20, 2026 at 05:42 AM IST
UNION MINISTERS attending the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday were given an account of their social media engagements in the past two and a half months, sources said.
The analysis, which also included a comparison of their digital outreach and engagement on four social media platforms, advised the ministers to step up their activities on these platforms to reach out to a larger audience.
Sources said each minister was handed an envelope after the Cabinet meeting. The envelope contained details of their activities from May 1 to August 15, assessing their performances across X, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. The metrics used were the average daily posts, engagement per post, total likes, follower count and the overall traction each post had created, sources said. The level of traction created by the social media posts of political leaders, including those from the Opposition, was also compared.
Senior ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar and Piyush Goyal were not present in Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting. Sitharaman is leading a ministerial delegation with Jaishankar, Goyal and Minister of State Jitin Prasada to Singapore for high-level talks aimed at deepening economic ties with that country.
A source said the ministers get such performance analysis of their social media posts from time to time. The source said the assessment is “just meant to urge the ministers to scale up their digital outreach”. The latest analysis assumes significance in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasising engagement with Gen Z on social media.
The ministers and other BJP leaders have been advised to increase their social media activity and focus more on engaging with the youth. To be sure, PM Modi has repeatedly urged his party leaders, including the ministers and chief ministers, to utilise social media for reaching out to citizens directly and for promoting the Central government-run welfare schemes. At the BJP-NDA chief ministers’ conclave, an account of their activities on social media platforms is always a part of their performance analysis, sources said.
Following the Gen Z protests over the NEET paper leak row and other irregularities that led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan last month, BJP leaders have launched a massive pivot towards direct engagement with youngsters on digital media. PM Modi himself has shifted to selfie-style videos on Instagram, seen as a tactical move to establish an unconventional direct line of communication with Gen Z voters.
The latest analysis assumes significance in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasising engagement with Gen Z on social media. 
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