On December 17, 2025, Shri Manish Shiva Zole, Deputy Director (PIB), was appointed as Chief of Media & Communications (CMC) for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in pursuance of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting D.O. No. M-20011/10/2025- Press dated 12.11.2025. The CMC will be the Single Point of Contact for media engagements and information dissemination. The CMC will report directly to Secretary (MeitY) and coordinate with AS/JS/GC of MeitY dealing with Information, Education and Communication (IEC). Divisions of MeitY will route their media plan for the Ministry's activities/initiatives and response to media, through the CMC. The expenditure on TA/DA will be made by MeitY. The order is effective immediately. Contact P Victor Albuquerque, Deputy Secretary (Pers.).
The D.O. No. M-20011/10/2025-Press dated 12th November, 2025, from Sanjay Jaju, Secretary of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, outlines steps to strengthen communication by Press Information Bureau (PIB) officers. Each Ministry/Department will have a designated PIB officer as a single point-of-contact, who will be the Chief of Media & Communications (CMC) responsible for media engagements and information dissemination. The CMC will report directly to the Secretary and coordinate with AS/JS dealing with IEC. Directions are to be issued for all Divisions to route media plans through the CMC. An enclosed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) details the roles and duties of the CMC. Contact secy.inb@nic.in.
The SOP outlines the duties of the Chief of Media & Communications (CMC), encompassing conceptualising, planning, and releasing funds for paid and unpaid campaigns; coordinating with CBC for media plan preparation and execution; managing creatives through CBC; developing campaign strategies; drafting press releases and FAQs; organizing press conferences and media interactions; maintaining media liaison; publishing Op-Eds; fact-checking; preparing media plans for events; conducting press tours; monitoring media coverage; coordinating inter-agency efforts; handling administrative and logistical roles; managing the budget and accounting; and leading a team within the client Ministry. The CMC will coordinate with the Ministry to place 40% of Advertisement & Publicity funds with the Ministry of I&B as per the DoE OM No. 7/53/2019-BA dated 30.04.2025.
Key Entities Referenced
Chief of Media & Communications (CMC): Single point of contact for all matters relating to media engagements and information dissemination, responsible for coordinating with Press Information Bureau (PIB) officers across ministries and departments.
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY): The ministry for which the Chief of Media & Communications is appointed in this order, as well as the ministry issuing the order itself.
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting: The ministry whose directive led to the creation of the CMC role, and who coordinates with the CMC
Press Information Bureau (PIB): The government agency from which officers are designated to the CMC role in each ministry.
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP): Document outlining roles, responsibilities and procedures for the CMC.