For effective Covid-19 messaging, I&B secy looks at local languages

NEWDELHI: To ensure that the message of social distancing and the need to protect everyone from the coronavirus disease reaches each Indian in his or her own dialect and language will be the immediate priority of the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry, Information &Broadcasting secretary Amit Khare said on Monday.

The senior Indian Administrative Service officer took charge of the post at a time when the government is focusing increasingly on getting its communication strategy right in the midst of the pandemic before the 40-day lockdown to stop the spread of the disease ends on May 3.

“Our strategy is that the communication should reach the last person in their own local dialect and language,” Khare told HT in a phone conversation after taking charge. This is the second time that the 1985 batch IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre would be working as secretary in the I&B ministry. He held the position before being made secretary (school education) in the ministry of human resource development (HRD) in October 2019. Khare is also holding charge as secretary (higher education) in the HRD ministry.

The veteran civil servant returns to the I&B ministry, which decides the Centre’s communication outreach, at a time the government is trying to increase public awareness of Covid-19, and explain the need for the people to strictly follow lockdown measures it has put in place to curb the spread of the disease.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been at the forefront of this information outreach, addressing the nation on television and holding interactions to communicate the government’s perspective on the situation. On Sunday, in his Mann Ki Baat radio address, Modi again focused on the coronavirus and warned against any sense of complacence in the battle against the pandemic.

The traditional media -- newspapers and broadcasters-- have, meanwhile, been hit by the adverse impact of the virus in the form of a drop in advertising and circulation. “Print, digital and electronic media are playing an important role in the battle against the pandemic Covid-19...We will try to resolve these issues,” Khare said in response to a question.