Dated December 17, 2025, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has appointed Shri Manish Shiva Zole, Deputy Director (PIB), as the Chief of Media & Communications (CMC). This is in pursuance to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting D.O. No. M-20011/10/2025- Press dated 12.11.2025. The CMC will serve as the Single Point of Contact for media engagements and information dissemination across various platforms, reporting directly to Secretary (MeitY) and coordinating with AS/JS/GC on Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) matters. All Divisions of MeitY must route their media plans through the CMC. Expenditure related to TA/DA and other working arrangements will be borne by MeitY.
A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) details the roles and duties of the CMC, including leading paid campaigns, coordinating with the Ministry for funding and media plans, coordinating with CBC for media plan preparation, and ensuring fund allocation. The CMC will facilitate creative production through CBC-empanelled agencies. The CMC will also be responsible for drafting and issuing press releases, organizing press conferences, maintaining media liaison, and fact-checking. The CMC will coordinate media plans for events, plan press tours, monitor media coverage, and coordinate with other agencies, including the Ministry's Media Cell and Doordarshan News. Administratively, the CMC will supervise staff, manage logistics, and maintain contact databases. The CMC will coordinate with the Ministry for budget planning and the allocation of funds, and will be assisted by a team of officials from the client Ministry with an office to route all IEC and ‘Advertisement & Publicity’ related files.
Relevant contact information includes:
- Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting: secy.inb@nic.in
- File No.: A-19014/7/2025-HR Section (Computer No. 4032854), Room No. 654, 'A' Wing, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi-110001
Key Entities Referenced
Chief of Media & Communications (CMC): Single point of contact for media engagements and information dissemination for each Ministry, responsible for all media-related activities.
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY): The Ministry where the appointment of CMC is directly addressed, highlighting its role in coordinating media plans.
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting: The ministry from which the initial direction for creating CMCs stems.
Press Information Bureau (PIB): Each Ministry/Department will have at least one designated PIB officer, and the seniormost PIB officer assigned to the respective Ministry/ Department will henceforth be called as Chief of Media & Communications (CMC).
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP): Document outlining the roles and duties of the Chief of Media & Communications (CMC) in each Ministry.