Spread message of COVID-appropriate behaviour, vaccination: I&B Ministry tells news channels

New Delhi: In a bid to spread awareness on COVID-19 guidelines, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has asked the private television news channels to disseminate messages on it.

The ministry on Tuesday (April 6) wrote to all private satellite TV news channels to appropriately disseminate messages for COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and vaccination.

In a letter, the ministry said that private TV channels have always been in the forefront of spreading important messages in the larger public interest.

"It is, therefore, requested that the private channels may appropriately disseminate messages for COVID- appropriate behaviour and vaccination of the eligible age group persons so as to create greater awareness among the citizens of the country," the ministry said as per ANI.

The letter said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had convened a high-level meeting on April 4 to review the emerging situation in view of COVID-19 cases seeing an "alarming upward trend" and noted that the government has decided to focus on the five-fold strategy to deal with the emerging crisis - testing, tracing, treatment, COVID appropriate behaviour and vaccination.

It is, therefore, imperative that all stakeholders take forward the communication strategy with a renewed emphasis on `Dawai Bhi, Kadai Bhi`," the letter said.

India reported over 96,000 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The total count of COVID-19 cases in the country has reached 1,26,86,049.