Delhi Government officers to undergo training on social media usage

The Delhi government officials could soon become social media savvy as the government has directed the information and technology department to design a training course on social media for its employees.

According to a senior government official, the move will help ministers to keep bureaucrats in loop.

Known for its social media presence, the Kejriwal-led government has decided to provide training to its officials on how to use Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues — deputy CM Manish Sisodia, PWD and health minister Satyendar Jain, labour minister Gopal Rai, water minister Kapil Mishra and environment minister Iramn Hussain are active on social media and they often express their views through Twitter and Facebook.

Mr Jain for instance tweeted pictures of the government’s fogging drive in West Delhi’s Vikaspuri area.

The drive was launched by the Delhi CM from his official residence in Civil Lines on Thursday, after his government faced criticism for its handling of dengue and chikungunya outbreak in the capital.

The decision to bring officials on social media platform was taken by the deputy CM during his meeting with the officials of the IT department. Mr Sisodia was informed by the officers that the department at present provides basic computer training — MS Power Point, MS Excel and Microsoft Word.

Sources said that Mr Sisodia asked the IT department to give training on the use of social media to officers working with the Delhi government as part of its existing computer course.

He was told that most of government employees do not know how to use WhatsApp.

Mr Sisodia is an avid user of WhatsApp. He once asked an official to send him location for an event on WhatsApp, but the official failed to do the same, a government official said.

In the past too, Mr Kejriwal had directed his ministers on Twitter on several occasions whenever people complained to him through the micro-blogging site.