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The Print
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Maharashtra govt floats tender for fact check unit to track ‘malicious, inaccurate' content
Brijesh Singh, principal secretary, DGIPR, told ThePrint: 'Every day, we treat media reports as feedback on governance. During his previous tenure, Chief Minister Fadnavis made our approach clear: 'either the media is right, or we are right. If they are right, we need to take note. If they are wrong, we should inform them of factual inaccuracies'. This unit serves exactly that purpose.' The unit will be set up under the state government's Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR), and will use technological interventions to speedily screen all information concerning the state government and check its credibility across languages for any supposedly malicious or inaccurate content. Mumbai: The Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has floated a tender to set up a fact-check unit to track all content about the state government across traditional media as well as social and digital media platforms. 'It is not intended to have any chilling effect (on the public) or create the fears some people are expressing,' he added. Government departments routinely identify any alleged discrepancies in media reports and send rejoinders as and when required. Singh said the fact-check unit will make this exercise more thorough and faster, bringing in technological interventions. 'We lack the capability to handle the current volume of misinformation, and it requires significant technical capabilities. When altered photos claim a bridge has collapsed, or old images are used out of context, we need to respond promptly and accurately, pointing out, for instance, that an image is from 2016. This requires forensic capabilities, making technical expertise essential,' Singh said. According to the tender, which ThePrint has seen, the fact-check unit will have a dashboard that would offer detailed reports and alerts on any 'misinformation, disinformation and malinformation' detected. The dashboard, the tender states, should help government officials to quickly review the content that has been flagged, understand the scope of the issue and respond in a timely manner. The agency chosen to set up the unit will also conduct training sessions and workshops for officials from the DGIPR and other government departments on how to use the dashboard, and view and analyse reports. Also Read: Trump dismisses as 'fake news' CNN report saying US strikes didn't destroy Iranian nuclear sites 'Fact-check unit proposal legally vetted' The Bombay High Court had in September last year declared a 2023 amendment in the Centre's Information Technology Rules, as part of which the government planned to fact-check social media content, as 'unconstitutional'. The amended rules were to restrain social media 'intermediaries' from publishing content about the government which its own fact-check unit identified as fake. Multiple petitions from organisations such as the Editors Guild of India, News Broadcasters and Digital Association, Association of Indian Magazines as well as comedian Kunal Kamra had challenged the amendment, saying the rules infringe upon freedom of speech and expression. In a 2023 letter, the Editors Guild of India had said: 'While admittedly there is a problem of misinformation and fake news, especially in the online space, efforts to check such content have to be by independent bodies that are not under the sole purview of the government, lest they become tools to clamp down on voices of dissent.' In December last year, the Centre filed a special leave petition against the high court's decision in the Supreme Court. It is, however, yet to be admitted. According to Singh, however, the Maharashtra government has got the proposal for the DGIPR's fact-check unit legally vetted and it will not be in contravention of the court's orders. 'The central fact-check unit was ruled unconstitutional by courts in an earlier decision because it required platforms to take down content based on the unit's report. Our approach is fundamentally different: it is not binding. The state government lacks such enforcement powers. Since that ruling, PIB (Press Information Bureau) has continued fact-checking, as have many other states,' Singh said. What the tender says According to the tender document, the fact-checking unit is expected to track social and digital media platforms, websites, online news aggregators and blogs for the state government to identify and respond to 'instances of misinformation, disinformation and malinformation being published' in a timely manner. 'If someone posts false information—say, claiming a statue has been desecrated somewhere—the government has a responsibility to respond with accurate information. Our primary objectives are serving public interest and increasing transparency and trust,' Singh told ThePrint. The unit will be expected to validate and assess the credibility of content not just in English, but also in Hinglish (an informal blend of Hindi and English) as well as regional languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Malayalam, Punjabi and Bengali. The tender document states the agency setting up the fact-check unit should also provide a solution to conduct predictive analytics so that the government can identify potential outbreaks of alleged misinformation based on historical patterns and social media activity. 'Using AI, it must forecast which topics are likely to be misrepresented, manipulated, or misused, allowing government agencies to respond proactively and mitigate potential damage,' it says. Further, the agency selected to set up the fact-check unit will enable sorting the allegedly malicious content into categories based on why it is malicious—whether it is inflammatory, insulting, obscene, profane or adverse. It will be required to detect deepfakes as well as content using code language with a 'harmful intent without explicit terminology'. The agency's solution will also classify accounts allegedly using media manipulation tactics to gain social media traction, posts that make derogatory remarks about someone based on their identity, and content by entities lacking credibility or verifiable accuracy, among other things, the tender document states. (Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui) Also Read: India's Chief of Information War during Op Sindoor night was fact-checker Mohammed Zubair
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Top babus now tasked with fact-checking media reports
More than three months after the general administration department prescribed stringent guidelines for electronic and print media, it was found that by and large, there is massive laxity in the implementation of critical orders. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Chief secretary Sujata Saunik has now issued revised orders, saying it will be the responsibility of the additional chief secretary, the principal secretary and the secretary of the department concerned to ensure that orders are implemented in their letter and spirit. CM Devendra Fadnavis had held a series of meetings on publication of govt news in print and electronic media. The general administration department issued guidelines from all departments for securing accuracy of media reports. Then, it was submitted that in the event of a false news report, a clarification was to be published in 24 hours in case of print media and within an hour on electronic media. But it was found that no critical step was taken by the directorate general of information and public relations (DGIPR) for publication of govt response. To build the state govt's image, Saunik has directed heads of all departments to take immediate cognisance of false news in both electronic and print media and issue a proper clarification immediately. All departments must involve departmental liaison officers in the entire exercise. DGIPR will ensure that the statement of facts is submitted to the agency concerned immediately. A senior bureaucrat said that in the recent past, DGIPR lost significance since most of the cabinet members have their own public relations officers, most of whom are private. The entire episode has created a big challenge for DGIPR. Due justice The conviction of a Thane-based hawker for a murder attempt on a former assistant municipal commissioner in 2021 assumes significance since it was found that most public servants are reluctant to lodge a complaint in view of the complex procedure and harassment. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Kalpita Pimple, then assistant commissioner, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), was seriously injured when she was attacked by the hawker and his colleagues while she was removing illegal structures. The hawker attacked her with a sharp weapon, chopping off three of her fingers. Her colleague, too, was grievously hurt. TMC officials as well as police personnel immediately nabbed the hawker. More significant is the fact that a team of lawyers led by Shishir Hiray submitted the chargesheet in a time-bound period. Hiray brought it to the notice of the judge that it was a murderous attack and maximum punishment should be imposed on the accused. He said it was a prestigious case for him since hawkers attack officials and vanish from the scene, with no witness coming forward to depose. Sessions judge Ashutosh Bhagwat accepted Hiray's contention and gave the hawker seven years of rigorous imprisonment for the murder bid.
Hindustan Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
State to spend ₹25 crore on govt scheme publicity during Ashadhi Wari
MUMBAI: As the bugle for the upcoming local body elections is sounded — dates for which are yet to be officially announced — the Maharashtra government is set to spend over ₹21 crore on publicity for various schemes during the 21-day Ashadhi Wari pilgrimage from June 18 to July 8. The Wari, a 700-year-old annual pilgrimage of the Warkari sect, sees over 2.5 million devotees (Warkaris) walking nearly 240 km from Alandi and Dehu to the temple town of Pandharpur. The yatra culminates on Ashadhi Ekadashi, which falls on July 6 this year. This year, the state's publicity blitz during the Wari is pegged at ₹25.17 crore — a figure that notably exceeds the ₹12.82 crore allocated for essential sanitation services such as portable toilets for pilgrims. Tenders have been floated across departments to promote government initiatives during the yatra. The campaigns will use Chitraraths (decorated floats), street plays, mobile LED vans, exhibitions, and social media drives to communicate various schemes to the Warkaris. In contrast, the sanitation plan involves daily deployment of over 1,800 portable toilets to cater to the massive footfall. The toilet facilities alone cost: Dehu to Pandharpur route: ₹7.83 crore and Alandi to Pandharpur route: ₹4.99 crore. Vitthal Patil, president of the Warkari Sahitya Parishad, welcomed the state's efforts but raised a pointed concern, 'The facilities have been improving every year, which is commendable. However, while the government uses the Wari for heavy publicity, the real question is whether these schemes truly reach the people.' Brijesh Singh, director general, information and public relations, said, 'The information and education campaign is being implemented to reach out a natural assembly of lakhs of citizens from rural area. We take the opportunity to interact to the people, especially farmers on their issues and take the schemes meant for them to them in their own language. This has been happening for years and has nothing to do with the ensuing elections.' Break-up of the publicity budget: Employment guarantee scheme department: ₹9.39 crore Health department: ₹2 crore Disaster management cell: 3.48 crore Transport department: ₹21.93 lakh Special assistance department: ₹43.96 lakh Information and Public Relations (DGIPR): ₹5.36 crore for the 'Sanwad Wari' campaign Other departments: Undisclosed amounts
Time of India
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Macau Jibe To Advt Row: Cong & BJP Maha Chiefs In War Of Words
Nagpur: A clerical error in a govt advertisement triggered a political flashpoint between Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal and BJP state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Both leaders traded barbs on social media, escalating hostilities between the parties ahead of the upcoming local body elections. The row began after a Republic Day advertisement issued by the Public Works Department for a proposed cabinet meeting in Chaundi appeared in a vernacular daily with a misprinted cost figure. Due to a missing decimal point, the advertisement showed a cost of Rs150 crore instead of the actual Rs1.5 crore, sparking criticism and speculation online. Bawankule, addressing the matter on social media platform X, dismissed the controversy as a technical error on the part of the newspaper and accused Sapkal of exploiting the incident for publicity. "Sapkal is still very young. To go far in politics, he must first shed his childishness," Bawankule remarked, adding that the release order and website displayed the correct figure and that such manipulation was "pitiable". Sapkal, in a pointed response, wrote: "Bawankule Saheb, I am indeed young. But I'm certainly not big enough to blow Rs3.5 crore in an hour at a Macau casino." The sarcastic remark was widely seen as a reference to earlier allegations of extravagant spending involving BJP leaders. Defending his position, Sapkal urged Bawankule to seek clarification from the Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR), which already admitted that the misprint was unintentional. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Since you are so senior, I trust you can read numbers properly. Instead of blaming the newspaper, speak to DGIPR," he added. DGIPR officials have since confirmed that the error was inadvertent and promised internal corrective measures. This episode adds to a string of confrontations between the two leaders in recent months. Ahead of the Congress's Sadbhavna Rally in Nagpur on April 16, Bawankule took a swipe at Sapkal, suggesting that "a rally in his hometown Buldhana would have sufficed". Last month, Sapkal courted controversy by likening chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb during the Assembly session, prompting Bawankule to demand action against him for the remarks. The ongoing verbal duel between the state party chiefs mirrors the heightened political temperatures as Maharashtra heads toward crucial civic polls, with both sides positioning themselves for electoral advantage.
