PM Narendra Modi's All India Radio initiative 'Man Ki Bat' to cover a billion-plus Indians; New Media Cell to monitor social networking sites

The Narendra Modi government is planning a two-pronged approach to reach out to the rural as well as the urban population. While a New Media Cell (NMC), to be set up under the I&B ministry, will gauge the mood of the urban public through social media sites, the PMO is planning to tap All India Radio (AIR) to reach out to a billion-plus Indians.

The AIR programme, likely to be called 'Man Ki Baat', will go on air from October 3. Later, Modi may get answer citizens' questions directly as he did during his address on Teachers' Day, said sources. It's likely to be a fortnightly or weekly programme, sources said.

Ironically, the decision to create NMC was taken by the UPA government in August 2013, but it could hardly derive any benefit from it.

What's the idea behind 'Man Ki Baat'?

"The PM wants to have a direct talk with the countrymen on various issues. The speeches may be of 30-50 minute duration," said an official. The I&B ministry has decided to title the slot as 'Man Ki Baat' under AIR's Canvas programme. The social media cell of the ministry and AIR have even launched a logo competition (September 26-30). A prize of Rs 30,000 and a certification from the ministry is on offer.

In which language will it be?

AIR is planning to translate the speech almost simultaneously into 24 Indian languages. This is a big challenge. There is also a proposal to make the broadcast available in at least 16 foreign languages to let the world hear the PM's message.

How will the NMC work?

The New Media Cell will bring out weekly reports. Before going to the PMO, it will be vetted by the Union home ministry. A team of 7-8 boys and girls will continuously upload tweets and monitor sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The I&B ministry has also roped in a Hyderabad-based IT solutions company to monitor Twitter handles and FB accounts, sources said.

Who will head the cell in the PMO?

There's a dedicated team under Hiren Joshi, who heads the IT unit, which will analyse social media trends. Joshi was heading the social media cell for Modi when he was the Gujarat chief minister.

What has been Modi's social media experience?

The presence on social media has given him a huge edge over political rivals. Modi is followed by 66 million people. Rahul Gandhi's Twitter doesn't even boast of a lakh followers. Home minister Rajnath Singh has 2.6 lakh followers. Even PMO India, with 2.6 million followers, is behind brand Modi. On FB again, brand Modi, with 22 million followers, has overtaken PMO India, which has 5.6 million followers.

What about ministries?

Ministries are struggling to make their presence felt. The ministry of youth affairs and sports has only 439 followers on Twitter and just over 7,000 likes in FB.

Who else are involved in the project?

The PMO has roped in Google India for a citizen-engagement platform MyGov, for which Google is launching a nationwide contest to develop a mobile app. "The mobile app will bring the PMO to every citizen and the contest will showcase how Indians can build a world class app," a Google India statement said.

Are there any critics to the projects?

Not many officials are gung-ho. "These tools are still a medium only for the upwardly mobile. The fan following on social media may be a good status booster, but the government cannot run programmes and tailor it on the whims and fancies of twitteratti. India is not the US, where the quality of tweets play a role in elections," said a very senior government official.