look news india
New Delhi/Digital Desk. In this era of social media and digital communication, the Government of India has taken a big step towards curbing misinformation, rumors and half-baked news. ‘Press Information Bureau’ (PIB), the main agency that disseminates official information on policies, programmes, initiatives and achievements of the Central Government, has now become available on the popular messaging app WhatsApp. PIB has officially made its ‘WhatsApp Channel’ live. The direct objective of this new initiative is to ensure that the government’s official decisions, welfare schemes and policy announcements can reach the country’s more than 50 crore WhatsApp users in real-time with 100% authenticity, without any middleman or tampering.
The biggest challenge in the digital age has been that many times fake links, fake subsidies and misleading messages in the name of public welfare schemes of the Central Government spread like wildfire in WhatsApp groups. People often become victims of cyber fraud or misunderstanding. Through this official channel of PIB, citizens will get verified information directly from the source.
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Immediate details of cabinet decisions: Important decisions of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, official press releases of Dearness Allowance (DA), Minimum Support Price (MSP) and new policies will be shared directly on the channel.
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Transparent Guide to Welfare Schemes: The correct application rules, official website links and eligibility conditions for schemes like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Kisan Samman Nidhi, Ayushman Bharat, Laadli Brahmin or Sukanya Samriddhi will reach the citizens directly.
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Quick Truth of Viral Claims (Fact Check): Updates of ‘PIB Fact Check’ will also be shared on this platform by investigating any suspicious government circulars, fake job advertisements or misleading orders circulating on the internet, so that the public will not have to wander anywhere else to differentiate between truth and lie.
The biggest technical feature of WhatsApp Channel is its privacy architecture. When a citizen or journalist follows this channel of PIB, his personal mobile number, profile photo or name will neither be visible to the channel admins (PIB officials) nor to other users connected to the channel. This is a one-way broadcast system, in which there is absolutely no risk of receiving any unwanted message or spam. Consumers will only be able to read official updates and react to them through emojis.
Any citizen using a smartphone can connect to this service in just four simple steps:
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Open WhatsApp and go to the Updates tab: Open the WhatsApp app on your phone and click on the ‘Updates’ (status in older versions) section below or above.
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Search channels: Tap the search (magnifying glass) icon next to the ‘Channels’ option.
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Find PIB India: in the search bar “Press Information Bureau” Or “PIB India” Type.
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Identify the green tick and follow: Make sure to look for the ‘Green Verified Tick’ (green verification badge) next to the name of PIB in the results to avoid connecting to any fake channel. After clicking on the channel, given on the top right ‘Follow’ Press the button. Along with this, turn on the notification by clicking on the bell icon so that you do not miss any important national update.
Experts believe that PIB coming to WhatsApp is a very practical step in India’s ‘Digital India’ journey. Till now, government press releases were limited only to government portals, email lists or X (formerly Twitter), where the reach of the general rural or semi-urban population was low. Almost every smartphone user in India uses WhatsApp. In such a situation, by providing authentic information directly on the same platform, the government has given a new direction to the democratization of information. Students, youth preparing for competitive exams, farmers, businessmen and media persons will now be able to directly connect with the government system and get accurate information about the country’s development and policies at their fingertips.