New Delhi, September 1: The role of Indian Information Service (IIS) officers extends beyond communication, with accuracy, credibility and compassion forming the foundation of trust between the government and citizens, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Chanchal Kumar, said on Tuesday.
He was speaking at the Valedictory Function and Graduation Ceremony for Group A Officer Trainees of the IIS representing the 2009, 2023 and 2024 batches, organised by the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).
The ceremony marked a significant milestone as IIMC, after attaining the status of a Deemed to be University, conferred postgraduate degrees on IIS Officer Trainees for the first time. The trainees were awarded the MA in Public Communication & Governance upon completion of the prescribed academic and professional requirements.
Chanchal Kumar said public communication is an integral component of governance and must continuously evolve with changing technologies and communication platforms.
He described artificial intelligence as a gamechanger while cautioning that misinformation, deepfakes and synthetically generated content have created new challenges for public communication.
Emphasising the importance of citizen feedback, he said communication should be a two-way process, with people’s responses helping improve government policies and their implementation.
While speed remains important, he stressed that accuracy and credibility are non-negotiable, as every official communication carries the authority of the institution.
The Secretary also urged IIS officers to continuously upgrade their skills, remain connected with the field and be prepared to understand wider aspects of governance when assigned responsibilities beyond communication.
He emphasised that citizens, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable, must remain at the centre of public service.
Officers, he said, should constantly assess whether their work is actually helping people and approach citizens’ concerns with sensitivity and compassion.
IIMC Vice-Chancellor Dr Pragya Paliwal Gaur said the officer trainees were the first recipients of the postgraduate degree, reflecting the strengthening of IIMC’s academic role and its close integration with professional communication training.
She observed that communication is about creating understanding, not merely transmitting information, and urged the trainees to discharge their responsibilities with clarity, objectivity and sensitivity.
She said the new MA programme also underlines the importance of continuous learning in a rapidly evolving communication landscape.
The ceremony was attended by Additional Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Shri Prabhat; Joint Secretary K. K. Nirala; Director General, Training, L. Madhu Nag; senior ministry officials, IIMC faculty members and Officer Trainees.
Comments are closed.