Dhruv Rathee vs Gaurav Taneja
“Uttar Pradesh Govt is saying it will pay up to Rs8 Lakh to Influencers to promote the government,” Rathee wrote. “This is Legalized Bribery. From Tax Payer’s Money. Any influencer who does this should be publicly shamed,” he added.
Gaurav Taneja, the 38-year-old IITian and former pilot, hit back at Rathee for this. He gave a different view on the issue. Taneja defended the scheme and wrote, “Should all Newspapers and TV Channels, be also shamed, who show paid ads to promote any govt in power?”
What is UP government’s new social media scheme
The UP government’s scheme aims to pay influencers for promoting government initiatives on platforms like X, Facebook, and Instagram. The Uttar Pradesh government has approved a new social media policy targeting influencers and creators. The Uttar Pradesh Digital Media Policy, 2024, was approved by Yogi Adityanath‘s Cabinet earlier this week.
The policy, created by the state’s information department, outlines a structure for providing advertisements to agencies and individuals who create and share content about government schemes and achievements on platforms like X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Influencers will be categorised into four groups based on their number of followers and subscribers.
The government note said that this would create an opportunity for the people of UP residing out of the state to earn money through social media.