No Govt advertisement to be sent directly to media: GAD

Jammu, Aug 3: Taking serious note of violation of its instructions, the government, in a reiteration of its earlier orders, Thursday directed all Administrative Secretaries, Heads of Departments and Managing Directors of PSUs, Corporations, Boards and organizations not to issue any official advertisement directly for publication in print or electronic media.

General Administration Department (GAD) Commissioner Secretary Sanjeev Verma, in circular instructions, instructed them to ensure that no “government advertisement, under any circumstances, should be sent or referred directly to print or electronic media without routing the same through the Information Department.”

He further cautioned that any violation in this regard would be dealt with appropriately under rules or norms. “Further, the Information Department shall closely monitor the matter and report violations of these instructions, if any, to the General Administration Department for initiation of disciplinary action,” Verma directed.

Circular instructions were issued after noticing that notwithstanding the elaborate set of guidelines on the issue, certain departments, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and autonomous bodies were “issuing official advertisements in stark violation of these instructions.” “The matter has been viewed seriously by the authorities,” Verma said.

He stated that the General Administration Department (GAD) and Finance department notified detailed instructions, mandating routing of all government advertisements through the Information Department.

“In terms of Government Order No 671-GAD of 2007 dated June 8, 2007 and Government Order No 201-F of 2018 dated April 6, 2018, and Circulars issued by this department vide N0.I6-GAD of 2015 dated March 16, 2015, N0 33-GAD of 2018 dated August 7, 2018 and No 28-GAD of 2019 dated May 13, 2019, it has been directed that no government department,  Public Sector Undertaking, autonomous body of the government, shall, under any circumstances, issue official advertisements directly for publication in print or electronic media,” Verma said.

He said that further, the Media Policy, 2020 notified by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, also clearly prescribed that the routing and release of all advertisements, communications and messages pertaining to government departments, Public Sector Undertakings, autonomous bodies including Local Bodies, Universities and all bodies or organizations supported directly or indirectly, through the government, would be done through the Directorate of Information & Public Relations.