Top officials get 'Image Building' session amid COVID crisis failure

New Delhi: Over 300 top central government officials have reportedly attended an image-building workshop titled 'Effective Communications' while the country faces the worst of COVID induced crisis.

In the 90-minute-long virtual workshop, conducted by Abhishek Singh, the CEO of MyGov, Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar was also a key speaker, according to a report published in Hindustan Times.

Minister Javadekar reportedly urged participants, most of them were secretaries of several government entities, to focus on focus on positive news, with the government being criticized for its handling of Coivd 19 infections and for faltering the vaccination drives.

The presentation focused on making the government "be seen to be sensitive, bold, quick, responsive, hard-working etc" and manage "perception through effectively highlighting positive stories and achievements" to boost a positive image of the government.

While much of the presentation dealt with examples related to Covid-19, one slide also gave the example of how MyGov and the government sent out the right message about the three reformist farm laws, HT reported.

However, former head of Press Information Bureau, Neelam Kapur, responded that it's too late for the government to think that communication can make up for the action. He felt that right messaging, be it about masks or crowds, had to be worked out much earlier.