Information and Public Relations Department: Crores of advertising and the excuse of files; Small publishers raise questions about corruption ‘No time for common publishers, but meetings for hours in closed rooms…’ People angry over the attitude of Anurag Prasad, Assistant Director of Information Department.

The role of the Information and Public Relations Department is most important in making the schemes of any government available to the public. The work of this department is to take all the publishers and media mediums together in a transparent manner. But in recent times, news coming from within the department is telling a different story. There is deep dissatisfaction growing among the local and general publishers regarding the working style and attitude of the Assistant Director of the department, Anurag Prasad.

Publishers allege that a new pattern of favoritism and arbitrariness has set in within the department, due to which the existence of small and independent media houses is in danger.

Allegations of meetings held behind closed doors and ignoring common publishers

Among the issues being raised by various media publishers, the most serious allegation is regarding the biased behavior of the Assistant Director. Publishers say that while on one hand the common publishers come to meet in connection with their legitimate demands and advertisements, on the other hand they hardly get even a few minutes time to meet. Often they are postponed or their proposals are not even considered.

On the contrary, there are allegations that the rules are kept aside when certain proposals and women representatives come forward. Meetings go on for hours in closed rooms and advertisements are issued on those proposals immediately without any delay. Publishers say that such double standards and discriminatory attitude is against the dignity of any government official and the transparency of the department.

Excuse of DAVP rules or an attempt to hide personal loss?

When small publishers approach Assistant Director Anurag Prasad with their pending payments or demand for new advertisements, they often get the same rote answers. Officials argue that “The file is currently under consideration at the government level for making payment to non-DAVP on DAVP basis.” Using this technical excuse, the files of the publishers have been suppressed for months.

But the truth behind this alleged ‘file in question’ indicates something else:

• Game of crores: On one hand, small publishers are being sent away empty handed citing budget and files, while on the other hand, advertisements worth crores of rupees are being continuously issued by the department for selected people.

• prompt payment: Not only are advertisements being released, but their huge payments are also being cleared on time through back-channel.

Direct question from publishers: Is this not corruption?

Small and medium publishers say that when the rules are the same for everyone, then why does the crisis of budget and files arise only for the common people? Running two different systems within the same department clearly shows that a game of arbitrariness is going on under the guise of transparency. If the files are stalled at the government level, then on what basis are payments for other advertisements worth crores of rupees being made?

This entire incident has put a big question mark on the credibility of the Information and Public Relations Department. Publishers have now prepared to take this matter to the higher authorities and the highest court of the government, so that this alleged discrimination and the game of advertisement allocation can be investigated impartially and everyone can get their due rights.