NEW DELHI: After launching a major media campaign on television, radio, newspapers and outdoor hoardings to highlight its achievements, the AAP government is now trying to reach out to more people through mobile phones.
In the capital, there are about three crore mobile connections, and the state government is planning to reach to about 1.38 crores of them which are not subscribed to the Do Not Disturb scheme.
On the occasion of Holi, the government started experimenting with the new medium, Integrated Voice Record (IVR), and tried to reach out to 40 lakh people. However, only around two lakh took the call, and half of them disconnected it midway.
The IVR, which was about a 1.45 minutes voice clip, highlighted the works by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. So far, three IVRs have been made by the government of which two are of Kejriwal. The third one is of Deputy CM, Manish Sisodia. In one of the clips, Kejriwal talks about improvements in the power sector and other achievements; while the other talks about the Delhi Jal Board and the government’s aim to clean the Yamuna. Sisodia talks about the achievement of his government in the education sector. The clip also highlights the AAP government’s plan to provide free treatments and medicines in all public hospitals.
Sources said the contract of covering 1.3 crore connections has been awarded to a Mumbai-based company, which charges 0.5 paisa per second per call. They stated that the initial plan was to connect to people across the country, but later they dropped the idea. “So the campaign was limited to Delhi itself,” said a source.
The government came up with the idea of reaching out to the Delhiites when they found that they were unable to spend the allotted funds of Rs 526 crore on advertisement and publicity. The government only managed to spend 19 per cent of the allotted fund that amounts to around Rs 100 crore.
The AAP government has also decided to cut down the advertisement and publicity budget by 60 per cent this fiscal. Last year, it landed in a controversy after allocating Rs 526 crore for publicity, and they are likely to allocate Rs 211 crore this time. The AAP used the IVR medium during assembly polls last year, wherein it promised corruption-free governance.
CONNECTING IT RIGHT
■ Of 3 crore mobile connections in Delhi, about 1.38 crore are not subscribed to the Do Not Disturb scheme, and government plans to connect to all.
■ On Holi, they wanted to reach out to 40 lakh people, of which only two lakh took the call. Half of them disconnected it midway.
■ The IVR is a 1.45-minute voice clip, highlighting the works by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. So far, three IVRs have been made.
■ Last year, the government allocated Rs 526 crore for advertisement and publicity, and this time, they are likely to allocate Rs 211 crore.