Rajyavardhan Rathore (Source: File)
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Minister of State (Independent charge) for Information and Broadcasting, speaks with Krishn Kaushik on using social media as a key tool of communication for the government, the controversy over the government’s ad spend, the achievements, and challenges before the ministry. Edited excerpts:
What have been the main achievements of your ministry in the last four years?
The ministry is supposed to be speaking about other ministries and the Government of India, and we started a two-way feedback system, or two-way communication system, by including social media in a big way as a means of communication. The second was the visit of ministers throughout the country, specifically addressing the regional media. So we identified regional hubs, or media nerve centres, and regularly, for various occasions, we would go to the people and interact separately with eminent people, with farmers, with women. Therefore we had specific feedback for all segments.
Our regional press conferences, interactions with editors, has also given the government a direct touch with the common people. We have put Doordarshan News on a mobile application. In terms of CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification), we made applications for request for a date online. A large portion of corruption would happen by not giving them dates, by playing foul there.
What has the ministry not been able to achieve?
Our priority is to reach the people. Government schemes to be known by as many people as is possible. Prasar Bharati, I feel, needs to improve, and we will work towards that direction as well.
In the last four years, I&B is the only ministry that has seen change of so many ministers — four by now — and secretaries. Did that bring about some instability?
One of the strengths of our government has been that most decisions are taken collectively by ministers. It’s a participative government, not an isolated one. Officers always, in all departments, do their tenures and move, so that’s really not an issue. Despite the changes in senior ministers, this ministry…the strength of this government has been that it’s been a very communicative government.
The relationship between the I&B Ministry and Prasar Bharati has been on shaky ground for the past year or so. How will this be amended in the next one year?
I think the previous minister (Smriti Irani) had a point — that MoUs need to be signed between various departments and the ministry. Now that MoUs have been signed, I see no reason why the interaction would not be at the most conducive level.
One accusation was that the ministry was trying to impinge on the autonomy of Prasar Bharati.
No, that was just perception. The government is very clear that Prasar Bharati is totally independent. (But) because we are funding Prasar Bharati till 2019, as defined in our directives, the ministry certainly has the right to know where the salary is being paid, and how much salary is being paid. That had not been provided to the ministry, and now it has.
About Rs 4,343 crore has been spent on advertising by the government since May 2014. Do you think that is a bit excessive?
First, the schemes are made for the people, and if the scheme is not known by the citizens, they will not be able to take advantage of those schemes. Or, the government would not be able to know the lacunae, or drawbacks, or modifications required. When we advertise, we are advertising about the schemes of the government.
Second, we will use every means possible in a very judicious manner, and that is why we have amended for the first time our policy, which reads that if an area is being covered by a certain platform, certain medium, we need not use multiple mediums there. Just because somebody has a newspaper, it is not mandatory for us to send an advertisement to that (newspaper). Giving advertisements is not a welfare measure to a newspaper.
Third, if you compare with earlier regimes, the ad spend is the same – it has not increased. So the government is doing its job – of reaching the masses.
What have been the biggest achievements of Modi government in the last four years?
Broadly, we have been able to provide the right governance, we have been able to focus on development through proper governance, in a direction which is transformative to our country. These are the three broad things.
The segments or the sectors we have covered are those that probably were marginalised over many years and didn’t see benefits of the government reaching them. We have specifically targeted women, we have targeted the youth. Our schemes have benefited farmers, infrastructure as a whole, and not schemes but our actions have led to a corruption-free country. And the potential or status of the country has certainly risen internationally. These are the overall few things we have done.
I’ll speak on women, just to give you an idea. We have realised that women are the nucleus of families. The government made life easier and healthier for them (by providing them) with gas connections. So far, 4 crore gas connections have gone to them — it touches 4 crore families, so 20 crore people touched.
Now these are the people who should have had all the basic rights. (Of) the loans in Mudra, 70 per cent have gone to women. That’s how we have strengthened women. These are also women who do not have a toilet facility at home. Only a person who is allowed to go (to toilets) at only morning and night will realise what sorts of health benefits and psychological benefits there are.
What is the role of this social media hub that the government plans to set up? Can it not be misused for snooping at some point?
Snooping means knowing something which is not (in) public, which is private. In social media, a lot of companies find out the sentiment regarding their product launch. They are not extracting anything which is private. Social media is a public domain and anything that is put in public domain — they (companies) are just assessing that.
The government wants to know (feedback) on various occasions actions taken by the government…. Even before this tender (inviting bids from companies to provide an analytical software and a team of professionals) was floated, the government was analysing public sentiments. All these stories about snooping into emails are absolutely wrong.
A lot of work is stuck in the ministry — work such as licences for channels, auction for channels on Free Dish, renewal of licences for DTH. Why were these policy decisions stuck?
A lot of times departments or the ministries themselves have to do stocktaking of policies. Are we moving in the right direction? A large number of licences are lying unutilised, and are being sold now. So the ministry took a certain amount of time to rethink on the policy to take stock of the situation. Once it analyses that, it (ministry) will come up with a fresh set of actions. The (former) minister decided to take stock of the situation.
By the way, we have already started discussing on a proposal to finalise the DTH (Direct-To-Home) licences. I think even on Free Dish (DD’s free DTH service), we have heard out the opinions of various channels, so the work is in progress even there.
BJP president Amit Shah has announced Mission-350 for the party for 2019 Lok Sabha polls. How do you see BJP achieving that goal?
I think people will realise that this government is working for strengthening the future of this country. So beyond caste and creed, and beyond specific regions, it is trying to work for the entire country. When the Prime Minister in 2014 spoke about opening of accounts, many people were lost, as to what is so great about opening of accounts. But in 2018, Rs 3,65 lakh crore has been pumped in through direct bank transfers. So you needed a bank account for that.
Twenty crore people of this country have got subsidy in their bank account only for gas. Rs 14,000 crore has been saved because of subsidy not going to the wrong people.
The Prime Minister invited SAARC nations to his oath-taking. Then, between each Parliament session, the Prime Minister started traveling abroad. It was, and it still is, mocked by the Opposition. But today, in the United Nations or any international forum, the reputation and status of India is at a very high pedestal.
Again, it’s a vision.
So the people of this country, and especially the young, realise that until now governance has mostly been dynasty-led. (But) here is one person who has no connection to his own, real, direct family. This window of opportunity that India has got, with the youngest population being in India, and with economy of our nation still being very robust and rapidly increasing compared to other countries, this window of opportunity cannot be lost.
What will people trust more: the work of five years of this government, or just the persona of the Prime Minister?
Long back, Alexander said, ‘I wouldn’t worry about an army of lions led by sheep’. What he meant was that a strong army led by a weak leader is immaterial. A strong robust country led by weak Prime Ministers will never make a mark anywhere. It’s a strong nation being led by a strong leader that is going to make a mark. When I say leadership matters, it doesn’t necessarily mean only leadership and nothing else. It’s obviously everything put together.
Rajasthan goes to the polls later this year, and you are from the state. What are the BJP’s chances in the state?
At a time when the BJP did not exist in most of the country. It was supported by these three states which are going to elections in December. Now that 20 states are with BJP, and we have gone into areas where the BJP hardly had any influence, obviously states that have stood by the party will support the BJP. Now, anti-incumbency comes in only when the people feel that work hasn’t happened. Otherwise it’s pro-incumbency. Therefore, the graph of the Prime Minister, and the sense of trust and belief in the Prime Minister and his way of functioning is very high in these three states. I see…a massive upsurge for the BJP.