CHENNAI: A one-day training programme on social media was organised for Information and Public Relation (I&PR) department staff in Chennai on Wednesday. After inaugurating the session, Tamil Development and Information Department secretary Mahesan Kasirajan said the I&PR department officials need to be updated on the changing technology. This is so staff can take government news to the public effectively, he added.
Kasirajan said, as social media gained importance and the news is shared within seconds, it is the need of the hour that officials learn to counter fake news and rumours. Department director VP Jeyaseelan cited examples of how repeated road accidents in a specific place on a highway were averted with data. Officials were trained on accessing platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. They were also taught to create ids and profiles, set passwords, authentication, use hashtags and set trends.