I-B Min to setup social media hub to keep tab on trending news

New Delhi, Jan 28: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has planned to set up a 'Social Media Communication Hub' that would help it keep a tab on trending news in districts and gather feedback on the Centre's flagship schemes.

Under the project, media persons would be employed on contractual basis in each district to be the "eyes and ears" of the government and provide real-time updates from the ground, an official source said. They would also take the people's feedback on the government's policies and follow the news trending in their areas, the source said. Experts would also be employed at the central level to analyse the feedback.

"They would also be used to combat rumours and would be the point man for clearing myths prevailing in their areas," the source said. Recently, the Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL), a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the ministry, had floated a tender to supply a software for the project.

"A technology platform is needed to collect digital media chatter from all core social media platforms as well as digital platforms such as news, blogs... In a single system providing real-time insights, metrics and other valuable data," the tender document said. It said the platform is expected to provide automated reports, tactical insights and comprehensive work-flows to initiate engagement across digital channels.

"The platform maybe used to disseminate content and hence, should support publishing features," the document said, adding that the platform needs to power a real-time New Media Command Room. It should also help the ministry to understand the impact of various social media campaigns conducted on Centre-run schemes, it said.

The tool should also support different languages, including Hindi, Urdu, Telegu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil and English, the document said.

PTI