Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh government’s new digital media policy provides for cash rewards for the influencers for publishing and popularising the policies and programs of the state government. It also provides for punishment, including life term, for anti-national posts.
The new digital media police got the approval of the state cabinet at its meeting here on Tuesday. The meeting was chaired by chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
In a statement, principal secretary Sanjay Prasad said that the objective of the Digital Media Policy 2024 was to create awareness among the people about the programs and achievements of the government and their benefits.
He said that the government advertisements would be given to firms/agencies identified for this purpose for disseminating government programs and achievements on social media platforms like ‘X’, Instagram , Facebook and YouTube.
‘’The policy will help the residents of the state who are living in other parts of the country and abroad in getting employment,’’ he added.
The policy provided for a cash reward up to Rs eight lakh per month for social media influencers. The minimum amount would be Rs two lakh.
The content providers have been divided into four categories. The agencies or firms have also been divided on the basis of their subscribers and followers on different social media platforms.
The policy also provided for legal action against the firms and agencies and others if they were found to have published ‘’anti-national, obscene and indecent’’.
According to the sources, the policy provided for a punishment ranging from three year jail term to life term in case of anti-national content.
The Digital Media Policy has come after the state BJP leaders, in the recently held state executive committee meeting, said that the party was not able to counter the ‘propaganda’ of the rivals on the issue of change in the Constitution if it came to power.