Shri Bimal Julka meets Vice Chancellor of Queensland University of Technology , Australia

Secretary I&B, Shri Bimal Julka has said that qualitative information flow and interface of citizens with the communication strategy of the government with new innovations had led to the people centric communication. This had facilitated enhanced outreach & visibility of government communication across platforms. Shri Julka stated this in his discussions with Professor Peter Coaldrake, Vice-Chancellor of the Queensland University of Technology, Australia, here.

During his discussions with the Vice Chancellor, Secretary I&B mentioned that the communication paradigm had undergone a shift with a 360 degree approach being adopted to address the communication needs and challenges. He mentioned that the flagship schemes of the government i.e. Digital India, Skill India, Make In India had provided an opportunity to the media units to reach out to defined target audiences. Social Media initiatives of the government had provided a platform to the people to communicate directly with the government through methods such as Crowdsourcing and platforms which encouraged such innovations. He specifically highlighted the use and effectiveness of initiating Talkathons which provided a direct interface with the people leading to effective citizen centric communication. . Such initiatives would encourage a culture of inclusive and participative decision making.

During the meeting, Shri Julka and the Vice Chancellor of QUT reviewed the current training mechanism between Ministry of I&B and QUT with regard to in service training of Indian Information Service officers. Both agreed that the future training agenda should include contemporary issues related to media and communication studies. They emphasized that the Skill Development was critical for in-service training of officers handling government communication