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The General Administrative Department (GAD) has issued directions to all departments to counter misinformation and misleading content regarding the functioning of the Maharashtra government.
In accordance with the review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis earlier, a protocol has been set up that needs to be followed by the concerned departments to identify and counter "incorrect" news about various government scheme or programmes. "If the government considers the seriousness of such news/incidents and responds to them promptly, it helps to raise the image of the government in the public mind. However, despite this, it has been observed by the government that the departments of the state government are not quick to respond to the unsubstantiated/misleading news published in various media about the overall functioning of the state government," the circular read. According to an official circular, the government departments are expected to issue clarifications within 12 hours and two hours on "misleading or incorrect news" published in the print and electronic media, respectively. The departments have been tasked to follow up with media houses for correction or clarification on the misleading news. The media response cell of the Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR) would notify the concerned departments regarding any misleading news item so they can issue clarifications. "As per the instructions issued by Fadnavis during a cabinet meeting on February 2, 2025, the Government was considering the issue of formulating a detailed informative format for all the ministerial departments with a view to ensuring that factual information regarding the news worthy of response regarding the working/functioning of the State Government published in various popular media is immediately available from the concerned department," the circular read. "The Directorate General of Information and Public Relations shall follow up on the feedback/fact sheets received from the departments to the relevant print/electronic media so that they are disseminated as soon as possible. In this way, if the government responds appropriately and within a specified time frame to news that is worthy of a response and is published in the media, it will help the public to get factual and positive information about the government's plans and policies," it added. (ANI)
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