I&B Ministry merges 3 departments

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has integrated its three departments — Directorate of Field Publicity (DFP), Song and Drama Division (S&DD) and Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), according to an order today. All regional offices and field units of S&DD and DAVP will be subsumed in the 22 regional offices and 147 field units of DFP, the order said.

The integrated regional units will be re-named as Regional Outreach Bureaus (ROBs) and the additional director general (region) will be the controlling officer for all administrative and financial matters, it added. Similarly, all the 147 field units will be re-named as Field Outreach Bureaus (FOBs). The additional director general (region) concerned will be empowered to designate the heads of respective FOBs. Post integration, all the three media units — DFP, S&DD and DAVP — headquartered in Delhi will be re-named as Bureau of Outreach & Communication (BOC). A committee comprising an additional secretary, the DG (DAVP) and a joint sectary has been formed to oversee the process of integration within a period of six months.