The union government is likely to come up with a social media code of conduct for its employees and officers, as the trend of staff posting reels, videos and personal opinions on social media platforms grows, media reports said.
The matter was discussed at the highest levels of the government, which is now considering introducing a code of conduct to stop officials from posting videos or expressing opinions on inappropriate or sensitive subjects on social media platforms, news agency PTI reported, citing official sources. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed senior officials to examine the possibility of introducing a code of conduct. Cabinet secretary T V Somanathan, in a communication to bureaucrats this week, has outlined the action points emerging from the meeting, as per TOI. This comes amid a growing number of instances of government officials posting content on social media that glorifies their work and positions, behaviour that is generally considered inappropriate for public servants.
During a recent meeting with government secretaries, he also instructed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to speed up the launch of the “Ek Bharat” portal, a unified platform designed to provide government services to citizens, according to the Times of India, which cited sources. The code of conduct, once in effect, will be issued and applicable to all officers and employees, irrespective of their ranks, the sources said, according to PTI. The need for a social media code of conduct was felt by the government as currently no such rules exist, according to sources as cited by PTI. Last month, the government reduced the deadline for social media platforms to remove “unlawful information” from 36 hours to three hours after receiving a valid notice from the government or a court.
