Ad goof-up: Ministry did not take PMO’s approval

The ad carried photograph of former Pak air chief

danish

Danish Raza | February 26, 2010



The ministry of women and child development (WCD) did not take approval of the Prime Minister’s Office in using the photograph of the
prime minister in an advertisement which also carried the photograph of former Pakistani air chief Tanvir Ahmed.

This was revealed by the WCD in response of an RTI application filed by Delhi resident Subhash Chandra Agrawal.

The advertisement, released by the ministry, was published in national dailies on January 24, 2010, to mark the Girl Child Day. It also carried photographs of cricketer Virender Sehwag and sitar maestro Amjad Ali Khan, among others.

The ad had put the government in an embarrassing situation with the PMO regretting the incident and ordering an internal inquiry into the
goof-up.

However, WCD minster Krishna Tirath tried to downplay the matter saying that the message was more important than the image. “The
photograph is symbolic. The girl child should be protected, that is more important,' she had told the reporters then.

A day after publication of the advertisement, Agrawal filed an RTI application asking if it was compulsory for a the ministry to seek PMO's approval for publishing photograph of the prime minister in a government advertisement. “Yes”, was the reply given by M.R. Mohanty, Public Information Officer of the Ministry.

“No approval from the PMO was sought,” was the reply to Agrawal’s demand of a copy of approval from the PMO for the same advertisement.

To know the status of enquiry into the matter, the applicant also asked for a copy of the communication between the PMO and the
ministry. “They have denied this information,” said Agrawal. “It seems rather impossible that a blunder which resulted in PMO seeking apology
to the nation might not be taken by PMO with the ministry.”

Details including the name of the person or agency which designed the controversial advertisement and the action taken against the same were
also refused on the pretext that an enquiry was in progress.

Comments

 

Other News

Gandhian movement after Gandhi failed: Ram Guha

The Gandhian movement in India, after Gandhi’s death, failed, says Ramachandra Guha, and blames Vinoba Bhave for it. But the movement found new, fertile grounds around the world and succeeded in bringing about a change in South Africa, the US and elsewhere. It is high time it returned home. Of cour

When religion, politics and Bollywood come together

Tavleen Singh, noted journalist and political commentator, has turned to fiction, with her debut novel ‘The Actor’ (HaperCollins India). Set in the near future, it has a superstar, Amit Singh, turning to politics, when the political landscape is dominated by prime minister Guru Gaynendraj

Cabinet approves setting up of Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority

The union cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), called Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA), to strengthen research, planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment within the broad domains of Transp

Why foundational literacy and numeracy is key to school education

Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) are often described as the building blocks of education. Yet, their significance goes well beyond a child’s ability to read a sentence, write a response or solve a basic mathematical problem. These foundational skills shape how children understand the world,

When police data becomes the algorithm

For decades, policing has followed a familiar sequence: a crime occurs, the police respond, an investigation produces records and those records become part of the institutional memory of the criminal justice system. Artificial intelligence is beginning to alter that sequence. Instead of merely recording

Before India voted, the framers worried about the referee

“We are making a Constitution forever and not only for today.” Shibban Lal Saksena said this in the Constituent Assembly on June 15, 1949. He was warning that a ruling party might one day choose a loyalist to run India’s elections. Seventy-seven years later, the Supreme Court is wrestli

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter