NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry secretary Bimal Julka has said social media initiatives of the government had provided a platform to the people to communicate directly with the government through methods such as crowdsourcing and platforms which encouraged such innovations.

He stressed the need for qualitative information flow and interface of citizens with the communication strategy of the government. He said this had led to people - centric communication and facilitated enhanced outreach and visibility of government communication across platforms.

Julka said this during discussions with Professor Peter Coaldrake, VC of the Queensland University of Technology, Australia, in New Delhi.

Julka said the communication paradigm had undergone a shift with a 360-degree approach being adopted to address the communication needs and challenges.

He referred to the flagship schemes of the government - Digital India, Skill India, Make In India – which had provided an opportunity to the media units to reach out to defined target audiences.

He specifically highlighted the use and effectiveness of initiating Talkathons which provided a direct interface with the people leading to effective citizen-centric communication. Such initiatives would encourage a culture of inclusive and participative decision making.

During the meeting, Julka and the QUT VC reviewed the current training mechanism between the ministry and QUT with regard to in-service training of Indian Information Service officers. Both agreed that the future training agenda should include contemporary issues related to media and communication studies. Both emphasised that the Skill Development was critical for in-service training of officers handling government communication.