look news india
A very shocking and serious case has come to light from the Information and Public Relations Department of Uttar Pradesh. There is deep dissatisfaction among publishers and the media world regarding the functioning of Anurag Prasad, PCS officer and media in-charge posted in the web media wing of the department. According to information received from sources, these days a game of arbitrariness and corruption is allegedly being run within the department by keeping transparency at bay.
Local media organizations and publishers allege that the same officials who are responsible for strengthening the media of Uttar Pradesh are now playing with the interests of the publishers of UP.
Ignoring publishers of UP, favoring Delhi and other states
The biggest reason for this entire controversy is the alleged bias in the allocation of government advertisements. Small and medium publishers of Uttar Pradesh, who work day and night on the ground to disseminate government schemes to the public, are getting only assurances in the name of advertising.
You can understand this alleged unequal distribution of advertisements from the table given below:
The publishers’ direct allegation is that PCS officer Anurag Prasad is deliberately benefiting companies and publishers from outside states by ignoring the publishers of UP.
Meeting for hours in closed room, no time for common publishers
The information coming out from the sources also raises serious questions on the administrative environment of the department. It is alleged that the media in-charge does not even have two minutes to talk to the common and needy publishers who come to the office. They keep wandering for weeks regarding their problems.
On the contrary, sources claim that if any woman or people of influence come to meet, two to three hour long meetings are held with them behind closed doors. Such indifferent and selective attitude towards common media persons puts the working style of the officers in the dock.
Open discussion of bribery and transactions
According to departmental sources, a game of heavy transactions and bribery is allegedly going on behind this entire system of advertising. It is alleged that those who are ready to pay a fixed ‘commission’ or bribe, their advertisements are immediately approved, while the files of publishers working honestly are kept suppressed for months.
This type of corruption is also hurting the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s claims of ‘Zero Tolerance against Corruption’. Publishers’ organizations have now started demanding a complaint to be filed at a higher level regarding this matter and an impartial investigation (Vigilance Inquiry) of the entire episode, so that local media persons can get their rights.
