New Delhi, March 10 Aam Aadmi Party MP Rajinder Gupta raised concerns in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday about the need for a clear social media policy for government officials, citing instances of senior executives using personal accounts to promote their official duties.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Gupta pointed out that public office should not be used for personal promotion.
"We are witnessing a disturbing trend. Senior bureaucrats, including IAS and IPS officers, and even those connected to the university, are increasingly using personal social media platforms to promote their official duties," Gupta said in the Upper House.
While transparency in governance is important, Gupta emphasized that public office should not be used for personal promotion.
"We are seeing officers posting dramatic videos of raids, inspections, and enforcement drives on their personal accounts, often with inappropriate music and carefully staged visuals that portray them as individual heroes," Gupta said.
"Even more concerning is that information about official actions often appears first on personal social media accounts, sometimes before formal government communication," he added.
The issue becomes particularly sensitive when it involves judicial officers and those involved in court-related functions, he stated.
Gupta pointed out that the All India Service Conduct Rules of 1968 and the Central Civil Services Conduct Rules of 1964 were established before the advent of social media.
"Today, the digital landscape has changed, and our regulatory framework has not kept pace. Therefore, I urge the government to introduce a clear social media policy for public officials that separates official communication from personal promotion, restricts the disclosure of sensitive information and promotes accountability when public office is used for personal branding," Gupta said.