Towards good Information and Public Relation services
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: May 23, 2012 -

Chingthou Keicha from the desk

Proper information and good public relations are the keys to good governance. In order to maintain a good relation between the government and its people, it is necessary for the government to keep informing the public about the various developmental projects and welfare schemes of the government and at the same time welcome public grievances.

While these are necessary for the goof governance, the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) is the main actor in keeping the good relations between the people and the government.

As much as the DIPR of a state is well lubricated and rendering its services for the welfare of the people, the state will have good relation with the government thereby creating a sound atmosphere in the governance and moving forward in the long run of development.

However in the state, the DIPR is not functioning properly since the past decades. Before the Congress regime, the DIPR used to provide awareness about the various developmental projects and welfare schemes of the government for its public to the people of the state reaching many remote places through publicity, film shows, slide shows and many other means which in turn helps in maintaining a good relation between the people and the government.

But today, the department has become defunct. It is not reporting the developments of the government to the people nor trying to create good relations with the public.

The department used to publish Administration reports of the government and other publications like Manipur Today and quarterly bulletin of the department.

However, that too has ceased after the retirement of the former Manager of Publication T Rosanda in February this year. Most of the LDCs and UDCs in the department have retired from their posts and the posts are lying vacant as the government is not thinking to fill them up.

Recently, five out of 6 LDCs of the department have got retired and their posts are lying vacant. The department is not extending the service of the contract staff of the department since long which becomes a major hindrance in the working of the department.

On the other hand, the government is appointing IAS and MCS officers in the posts of Director, Additional Director, Joint Directors etc in the department which is totally contrast to the appointment rules in other states and the Centre's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting where officers from Indian Information Services (IFS) are appointed for the posts.

In Mizoram, which is one of the most ideal department in Information and Public Relation services of the country, the government is taking up many welfare programmes for the mediapersons by opening a Media Centre which provides various facilities and opportunities to the media professionals.

When the Indian Institute of Mass Communication in Dimapur failed to run properly, Mizoram approached the Centre and shifted the institute in Mizoram. Whereas, Manipur is second in rank in terms of media houses in the whole North Eastern Region just after Assam.

Only if the Manipur government took some initiatives in this field, the institute could have been brought to Imphal. In such situation, the government should take up certain initiatives to develop the information services of the government and build a sound relation with the people of the state.

However, the Chief Minister of the state who is in charge of many major departments, is also in charge of the department which means that he will not be able to look after all the initiatives which need to be taken up in order to bring a good relation with the people.

While keeping this in mind, the Chief Minister should hand over the charge of the department to some other minister who is not too busy with his departments for effective developmental strategies.

And in the same time, the government should appoint officers from IFS instead of IAS and MCS for the major posts in the department.

What lie there for the future of the media professionals in the state and the information services and public relations between the people and the government, no one knows until the government takes up initiatives in this field.

Anyway, let's hope for the best.