Chhattisgarh Public Relations Officer will meet the Chief Minister regarding revision of departmental setup

Raipur:
Chhattisgarh Public Relations Officers Association will soon meet Chief
Minister and request him to revise the departmental setup. The state-level
convention of the association was held in Raipur on Saturday. In the
convention, many resolutions were unanimously passed related to making the
Public Relations Department resourceful and in the interests of the officers
and employees. In the meeting, it was also decided to form a drafting committee
to prepare a departmental manual to define the work responsibilities of the
officers and employees of the Public Relations Department. For the smooth
functioning of the office, a proposal was also passed to increase the financial
powers of public relations officers; time-bound promotion, and immediate
recruitment of vacant posts.

Association
President Balmukund Tamboli said that the scope of public relations is increasing
day by day in the current scenario. Along with the print media, the Public
Relations Department has to give information about the activities of the
government to the electronic and social media. In all these circumstances the
present setup is inadequate. He said that about 22 years ago, the news was made
available to the print media only through public relations, in today’s changed circumstances;
the news of governance is disseminated quickly in electronic media and social
media also. The present setup of the Public Relations Department seems
inadequate due to the ever-increasing responsibility of the Department. In such
a situation, it is necessary to immediately revise the setup of the department
for speedy dissemination of government plans, decisions, and activities in all dimensions
of the media. 

Tamboli
also informed that there is a need for more resources in all the district
public relations offices along with the Directorate of Public Relations so
that the Public Relations Officer can conduct the work efficiently. He said
that public relations officers have to fulfill the responsibility of publicity
by being active throughout the year. Therefore, public relations officers
should also get one month’s extra salary in a year like the officers and
employees of the Police Department, Finance Department, and Vidhan Sabha
Secretariat.

In
the convention, a resolution was passed to demand from the government regarding
the formation of State Information Service on the lines of State Service and
State Financial Service. During the discussion, the Public Relations Officers
expressed their views in this regard and said that the officers of the Public
Relations Department should be posted on deputation in all the departments,
this would lead to better coordination in the publicity work and the publicity
work would accelerate.

In
view of the increasing importance of information technology and the work
responsibilities and nature of public relations officers, a resolution was also
passed to demand the government provide high-quality laptops and smartphones
to all public relations officers.

At
the convention, the patron of the Chhattisgarh Public Relations Officers Association
J.L. Dario, Umesh Mishra, Principal Convener Sanjeev Tiwari, Convener Smt.
Harsha Pairanic, General Secretary Alok Dev, Secretary Rajesh Shrivas,
Treasurer Laxmikant Kosaria, along with Public Relations Officers posted in
Public Relations Directorate and District Public Relations Offices were
present.