New Delhi, February 16: The Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar interacted with a group of Indian Information Service (IIS) probationers at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas today & asked them to be “real protectors of democracy and nationalism.” Praising the role of IIS officers in fighting misinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic and in addressing vaccine hesitancy, Shri Dhankhar told young officer trainees to remain ever-alert & vigilant as things get viral in a split second these days.
Shri Sunil Kumar Gupta, Secretary to the Vice President, Shri Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Sanjeev Shankar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of I&B, Prof. Sanjay Dwivedi, DG, IIMC, Shri Ashish Goyal, ADG, IIMC, Dr. Rinku Pegu, IIS officer trainees of 2020, 2021 & 2022 batches and senior officials were present.
Addressing the officers, Shri Dhankhar described India as the land of opportunities & investments and highlighted the role of effective communication in further enhancing these strengths. Describing the ‘dumping of information’ as ‘another way of invasion’, he called for bold and effective steps to neutralize it. The Vice President also underlined the need to remain alert to effectively counter the doctored narratives to run down India’s growth story. “We no longer have the luxury of delayed response,” he told young officers.
The Indian Information Service is a Central Group ‘A’ Service whose members work as media managers for the Government of India. The IIS officers, in their various capacities, act as a vital communication link between the Government and the citizens of the country by way of disseminating information and communicating various Government policies and schemes to the public at large.