Gurugram: Cabinet minister Krishan Kumar Bedi told the Haryana assembly Wednesday that state government employees are allowed to create content of “literary, artistic, or scientific nature” on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
He was speaking in response to Congress MLA Shishpal Keharwala, who had asked whether employees could create content on social media platforms and whether the government had set any specific standards for such activities.
During question hour, Keharwala had raised the query in three parts: (a) whether employees of Haryana government can use portals like Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to create content; if so, whether any criteria have been fixed by the government in this regard; (b) whether during and after duty hours government employees can use said social media platforms for increasing knowledge and bringing awareness among the public; and (c) whether sports players of state who got a job under the sports quota can upload content related to physical fitness and sports to bring awareness among the youth; if so, the manner in which income earned through such content is counted.
The question was for Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
Replying on behalf of Saini, Bedi said employees are free to use social media both during and after work hours to enhance public “knowledge” and “raise awareness” about various topics.
The minister further explained that employees could retain annual earnings of up to Rs 8,000 from their content on social media, as long as these efforts were independent of their government roles. However, if their yearly income surpassed Rs 8,000, Bedi told the assembly, one-third of the amount exceeding this threshold must be submitted to the state treasury.
Additionally, Bedi highlighted the growing significance of platforms like YouTube and Facebook in daily life, pointing out that even government officials now use them to disseminate information about state programmes and initiatives.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)