In a first, all district admin to have social media accounts

 Telangana | Written by : Suryaa Desk Updated: Wed, Feb 15, 2017, 03:15 PM

HYDERABAD Feb 15 : With social media becoming increasingly relevant in disseminating information, the Telangana government has decided to utilise social media platforms - Facebook and Twitter - for spreading information on government schemes and to use responses to resolve grievances.


The state government has directed all the district collectors to open Facebook accounts to interact with people and solve their problems. To make this exercise more effective, the collectors have been asked to identify some staffers to be trained in handling the social media accounts. When in place, these accounts for all the district administration units in the state, will be a first in the country.


"Almost all the old districts (10) have websites and now the state government wants all 31 districts to open Facebook accounts. So far, 20 district collectors have responded and suggested names of the employees to be trained," Dileep Konatham, director (digital media), 


Officials said IT and municipal administration minister KT Rama Rao is keen on using social media for informing people about what is happening in the government. "Major bodies in the city such as Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and Southern Power Distribution Company Limited are already active on social media. My GHMC app and Transport department's RTA m-Wallet have been received well by the people," he said.


Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is also keen on optimum utilization of social media to reach people, an extremely cost effective means of communication and gets immediate response from the public. The official Facebook account of chief minister 'Telangana CMO' has about 5.50 lakh followers and IT Minister KTR's official account has about 3.95 lakh followers.