NEW DELHI: Underlining the power of the message of development, Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley today released the Government of India Calendar- 2016, which seeks to put the spotlight on the “national priorities and agenda” of the Narendra Modi government.
The calendar, through pictures and messages, represents the myriad developmental themes whose repeated emphasis highlights “what our national priority and national agenda is”, Jaitley said in a brief speech.
“But, then, in the calender of development, there is never a last date. That’s an ongoing process. I hope, all those who get the calender, particularly our elected representatives, also realise the power of the message of development,” he added.
The calendar highlights the flagship schemes of the BJP government — from skill development, Digital India and Smart City programmes to the Jan Dhan initiative.
At a time when it is under attack for “shifting” its focus from development, his deputy, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, also used the occasion to lash out at the Opposition as he insisted that the government’s agenda was for the NDA dispensation itself to determine.
“Today, there’s also a system where, although the government hasn’t outsourced it, there are some who are trying to take the government’s agenda to the people.
“The government will itself decide what are its objectives and goals, but few people take it upon themselves to tell it what its goals are,” Rathore said.
Stating that some people have questioned why the government advertises its rural schemes in English newspapers, Rathore averred that it was necessary to “reach out to the intellectuals”.
He said it is so that “people who write about government policies know that there are such policies for rural areas and populations as well”.
An e-version of the calendar, which is available in the form of a mobile App, was also launched on the occasion. The target audience for the initiative is the youth and citizens who want information on government programmes and policies on the go, Rathore said.
He further stated that the success of government schemes depends largely on the awareness levels of the citizens.
“In fact, one of the primary reasons behind them not being successful in some cases is unawareness,” he said.
Rathore said that the calendar addresses that and its e-version enables people to give feedback to the government. “It also provides access to PIB press releases, tweets and news from AIR and DD News,” he said.
“The digital version of the calendar will facilitate information flow to the youth, who are quite aware of new technologies and methods,” Rathore said, adding that the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) was mulling advertisements targeted at specific audiences. (PTI)
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