APDC said it issues ads on behalf of the state government and it is no surprise that Chief Minister Jagan would appear in them.
Published Oct 11, 2023 | 5:00 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 11, 2023 | 5:02 PM
Fake News Representational Pic: Creative Commons Max Pixel
The Andhra Pradesh Digital Corporation (APDC) on Wednesday, 11 October, described as fake and malicious a news story that appeared in Telugu paper Eenadu that its employees were activists of the ruling YSRCP.
The story claimed that the corporation was no different from the newspaper Sakshi in blowing the trumpet for Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
In an elaborate clarification, the corporation said that it was not created recently and that it was in existence as the AP Content Corporation under the erstwhile TDP government. The then government had set up the content corporation on 14 December, 2018.
The corporation said that it would be taking legal action against those involved in the campaign against it to protect its interests and those of the government.
With the advent of YSRCP rule, the content corporation’s name was changed to APDC on 19 November, 2020, by the issue of a Government Order (GO) on 31 March that year.
The corporation said that the motive behind the publication of the story in Eenadu, seen as a pro-TDP newspaper, could be easily understood as it took the insinuations made against the corporation as its lead story.
The aims and objectives of the corporation were elucidated in the Articles of Association and Memorandum of Articles. The aim of the corporation was to give wide publicity to the government and the chief minister. It was expected to act as a bridge between the government and the people, APDC said.
It added that APDC issues advertisements on behalf of the state government and its various departments. It is no surprise then that Chief Minister Jagan would appear in these advertisements as he is the leader of the government.
This is not in violation of any rules, but by showing it as one, it became clear that the Opposition and the newspaper had tried to indulge in a mud-slinging operation, the APDC said.
Promoting the chief minister of the state is the duty of the corporation. When the TDP was in power, as the content corporation, it was also doing the same work.
The digital corporation was created as part of the Digital India mission of the Union and the state governments.
The APDC was following the same guidelines as that of the central agencies such as Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY), Ministriy of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), and Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP). In accordance with it, a digital policy framework of the APDC was formed.
The AP government issued GOs, clearing their implementation. But the Opposition and the media house had been trying to tarnish the image of the government by picking holes in it.
The APDC accepted the rate cards in accordance with the central guidelines. Request for empanelment of the websites, social, digital media platforms, and ad agencies is notified in the national and regional print media.
The entire process is conducted in accordance with the government guidelines. Only after the entire procedure is over, APDC sanction work orders. Though the APDC is working in such a transparent manner, there has been an attempt to malign its image, the corporation said.
The APDC has so far not released advertisements exclusively to only one agency. Every time, they are released to at least five or more agencies. It is not fair to say that only one media house is being favoured for the release of ads, it contended.
There is another allegation against the APDC that it had spent ₹400 crore during the last four-and-a-half years, which is baseless, it said. The corporation has so far spent only ₹88.56 crore on salaries and programmes.
The corporation said that even the appointments were made based on experience in news media and possession of qualifications and technical knowledge.
The corporation dismissed as baseless the allegation that it had employed Sakshi employees. In APDC all the appointments were made under GO No 94 complying with the rules in force.
It is but natural that those who apply for these jobs were those who had worked in various media houses on account of the nature of work. The corporation has employees who worked in Eenadu in the past, the APDC said in its clarification.
As a corporation, the APDC earns revenue from other departments, the corporation noted, adding that all government departments make use of its services. As the entire expenditure is audited, there is accountability for every rupee spent, it noted.
