Srinagar, November 03: In a development highlighting ongoing disregard for official protocol, certain government entities in Jammu and Kashmir are allegedly flouting an explicit directive to route all official advertisements through the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR). The directive, issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) and Financial Department under order no. 22 JK (GAD) of 2023 on August 1, 2023, instructs all Administrative Secretaries, Heads of Departments, and Managing Directors of Public Sector Units (PSUs), Corporations, Boards, and other government organizations to avoid directly issuing advertisements to any print or electronic media outlets. Instead, the order mandates that all advertisements be routed through the DIPR to ensure uniformity and accountability.
The GAD order specifically warns of disciplinary action for non-compliance, with the Information Department charged with monitoring adherence and reporting violations to the GAD. Despite this clear directive, several departments—including SKUAST, the J&K Waqf Board, and J&K Bank’s Zonal Office—are reportedly circumventing the DIPR, continuing to issue advertisements directly to select media outlets.
The alleged violations have raised concerns within the media community, with a collective of newspaper editors calling on the Director of Information to take action against those bypassing the established procedures. The editors argue that this favoritism not only contravenes the government’s 2020 Media Policy but also disrupts equitable distribution of advertising revenue, impacting the sustainability of smaller media outlets. They have urged stricter enforcement of the policy to prevent departments from bypassing DIPR’s oversight.
Additionally, the editors highlighted longstanding issues related to non-budget (NB) advertisement payments. Many media houses, already burdened by GST and additional billing expenses, claim they are owed significant unpaid dues by government offices for non-budgeted advertisements previously issued by the DIPR. The delayed payments, some pending for years, have exacerbated financial pressures on local publications.
