Karnataka Information Bangalore

Disseminating information through a variety of media is the mission of the Information Department, formerly known as the Department of Information, Tourism and Publicity.

The Department uses a multimedia approach, in the true sense of the word, to execute its duties. It employs innovative and effective field publicity through exhibitions, adver tisements in print, TV and hoardings, 'edutainment' through plays and street theatre, traditional folk ar ts, developmental literature and cinema. The Department has 29 exhibition units, one in every district headquarters. Each unit has a multimedia projector, an exhibition unit and other publicity material. Its award winning tableaux at the annual Republic Day Parades in New Delhi highlights Karnataka's culture to the rest of India.

The role of the Department is manifest in the many ad campaigns it undertakes. The campaign for ‘Stree Shakti’, a programme that empowers women through self-help groups, is one of its major successes. It spiralled into a social movement against such evils like dowry, drinking, gambling etc. ‘Yeshaswini’ is another widely publicised programme that has helped farmers and the rural poor benefit from medical insurance and the best medical treatment.

The Department has also added to social improvement by similarly publicising schemes such as ‘Suvarna Grama Yojane’ which aims at the integrated development of the villages, ‘Bhoomi’ which has computerised land records throughout the State, ‘Bhagyalakshmi Yojane’ that offers benefits to the girl child and another scheme of distribution of bicycles to girl students.

It highlights the achievements of the Government through massive publicity campaigns on occasions such as Independence Day and Republic Day. It draws on the effectiveness of the electronic media by screening development oriented short films and documentaries, spots and tele-films. It puts together a much appreciated news capsule ‘Vaartha Sourabha’.

Stree Shakti empowering women

It publishes two journals ‘Janapada’ in Kannada which focuses on the development activities in the state and ‘March of Karnataka’ in English which showcases the cultural and historical heritage of the state. The magazines are widely circulated both among the masses and the elite.

It has a symbiotic relationship with the media, as newspapers, TV and radio are the tools to reach out to the masses. Each evening, it sends out an information package to every media house detailing the daily announcements of the various government departments. It organises field trips for journalists to enable them to get a first-hand experience of the many development activities implemented in the state that is being taken up by the Government. The Department has instituted welfare measures for media persons and its subsidiary wing, the Karnataka Media Academy, focuses on raising professional standards of journalism by publishing books and presenting awards to journalists.

Appreciating the role of cinema and the media as agents of social change, the Department actively promotes both. It offers subsidies to help make films of good quality and has instituted annual film awards such as Dr Rajkumar award and Puttanna Kanagal award to honour the best in the field. The Department, as a policy of the Government, offers subsidy to 40 quality films annually.

Soon to take off is a community radio service ‘Namma Banuli’ that will air information to rural communities about weather, moder n far ming practices, Government agricultural policies and the like.

As a conveyor of vital information, the Department will soon provide single point access to the policies and projects of all Government departments through kiosks that have been set up across the State, including remote areas. This Rs 7 crore (US $1.7 million) facility will be enabled through the prestigious Information Technology Network by late 2008.

Empowering people through information, the Department acts as the backbone of good governance.