India Media

The Directorate of Field Publicity (DFP), an inter-personal media unit of the ministry, came into being in 1953 known by the name 'Five Year Plan Publicity Organisation' and it functioned directly under the administrative control of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Gradually its area of operations extended beyond the Five Year plans and the organisation was renamed Directorate of Field Publicity in December 1959. The directorate, with its headquarters in New Delhi, has a total of 260 field publicity units and 22 regional offices. The directorate by virtue of its being a grass root level organisation, has been playing a pivotal role in the task of national integration and development with active involvement of people. It has been using communication modes including group discussions, public meetings, seminars, symposia and competitions of various kinds for purveying its myriad messages to the people at large. Films and live entertainment media are also utilised to communicate the intended messages. The Organisation also gathers people's reactions to various programmes and policies of the government, their implementation down the village level and report back the same for appropriate action and corrective measures. The Directorate thus works as a two-way channel of communication between the government and the people.