India approves new body for social media

India has approved the creation of a new media wing which is aimed at publicizing government initiatives through social media networks, the Indian government said on Friday. "The approval came after a high level meeting of ministers who finally gave it a go ahead. The proposal for establishing a New Media Wing in the Ministry has been approved. It will work under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for publicizing government's initiatives through multiple social media platforms," the government said in a press release. The government said the new media wing in the ministry would address the communication and dissemination requirements of the Government on social media platforms. "The wing would integrate the communication tools horizontally and vertically through various social media platforms," the release said. The government said the proposal for the establishment of New Media Wing has been drawn on the basis of the experience of the initiative undertaken by the ministry recently, on a pilot basis to position itself on the social media platforms such as Youtube, Facebook and Twitter. The government said the cost of the project would cost Rs. 22.5 million (USD 371,000).