Government Prepares Strict 'Social Media Code' to Ban Reels and Personal Posts for Officials on Duty
In response to the rapidly growing trend of government officials and civil servants spending official hours recording videos, scrolling through reels, and uploading personal content, the central government is preparing to roll out a comprehensive Social Media Code of Conduct. The proposed framework aims to curb professional misconduct, eliminate workplace distractions, and prevent officers from using official platforms and positions for personal social media glorification. Alongside employee regulations, the administration is also fast-tracking a unified digital service gateway for citizens.
Directives from the Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary
The initiative was set into motion following direct instructions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who urged senior bureaucrats to evaluate the urgent need for a dedicated social media code. According to reports, Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan outlined the core objectives of this directive in a formal communication to top-tier civil servants.
Senior serving and retired administrators have welcomed the move, noting that existing bureaucratic conduct rules were established decades ago in a pre-social media era and lack explicit guidelines governing digital activity within office premises.
Why a New Social Media Code Is Urgently Needed
With smartphones ubiquitously accessible, authorities have noticed a sharp rise in personnel getting distracted by social media feeds during duty hours. Furthermore, officials frequently exploit their official titles, uniforms, and government workspaces to create viral content, blurring the line between public service and personal online branding. The forthcoming code will establish clear boundaries, prohibiting personal reels, live streaming, and unauthorized opinion-sharing while on duty.
Launch of the Unified 'Ek Bharat' Portal for Citizens
In addition to tightening internal workplace discipline, Prime Minister Modi has directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to expedite the rollout of the 'Ek Bharat' (One India) portal. Currently, citizens face frustrating hurdles when accessing public welfare schemes, having to navigate multiple disjointed websites and remember separate usernames and passwords.
The upcoming unified service delivery platform will solve this fragmentation by allowing users to access all government portals, services, and applications using a single, secure login credential. Inter-departmental coordination meetings for the portal are already underway to streamline digital governance nationwide.
