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Govt issues social media usage norms for its agencies
NEW DELHI: The central government on Thursday notified the social media usage guidelines for its agencies and citizen engagement for e-governance projects.
The guidelines have been developed for all e-Governance projects currently under National e-Governance Plan, whether being implemented at Central or State level. In addition, it will be applicable to all new e-Governance Projects being developed by any department or line ministry of central government.
The motive of these frameworks and guidelines is to enable various agencies to create and implement their own strategy for the use of social media, the government said.
According to the guidelines, persons handling the social media channels must take care “to avoid propagation of unverified facts and frivolous misleading rumours.”
They should not “comment and respond unless authorised to do so especially in the matters that are sub-judice, draft legislations or relating to other individuals.”
“When any information is shared or guidance given online, it is necessary to ensure that all relevant records are captured, trail is generated and records are managed appropriately,” the guidelines stated.
The guidelines says that the official pages of departments “must reflect the official position, some measure of control must be included in the flexible design of communication.”
“Just as rules and regulations exist for interaction with traditional media, similar rules must be created for engaging with social media,” it said.
To avoid a possible conflict, the guidelines states, “it is important to define whether the engagement may be undertaken through official accounts only or the officials may be permitted to use personal accounts also for posting official responses.”
“It determines who says what on behalf of your organisation and in what form it is published. It also outlines how each piece of published information is presented where it is published. The most important aspect is whether the responses are in Official or Personal Capacity. Also, it must be defined whether the responses can be posted through the official and/or persona accounts,” it stated.
To overcome language barrier, the guidelines suggest that “care must be taken so that people can communicate in their own language, and due cognizance of the views expressed in local languages is taken.”
While creating a policy for responses the guidelines state that “not all posts/comments need to be responded to immediately and individually. Also, wherever a response is required all posts should be kept short and to the point.”
“While employees are free to post response in their personal capacity, it is mandatory that while they are doing so, they must clearly identify themselves, confidential information must not be divulged and should not be seen to represent “official view” unless authorised to do so.”
The government has attached some key caveats to the guidelines like all accounts must be created and operated in official capacity; agencies must also have dedicated team that can monitor and respond to queries on a 24-7 basis; there should be congruence between responses on social media and traditional media; and relevant provisions of IT Act 2000 and RTI Act must be adhered to.
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Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
