UP Govt Approves New Social Media Policy with Penalties and Incentives

Under the policy, posting objectionable and anti-social content “is a serious offence” that carries penalties. In an official release, the government stated: “Appropriate action will be taken for anti-national, anti-social, fake news or inflammatory content posted on social media.”

Coming out against the new social media policy, the Congress leader Pawan Khera asked, “Will anti-BJP or anti-government comments be considered anti-national?.”

In a post on X, Mr Khera further questioned, “What is the definition of offensive comment? Are the double-engine governments now preparing to stifle freedom of expression?”

However, on the other hand, to promote and highlight the government welfare schemes, the release stated that the “influencers” could earn up to Rs 8 lakhs per month through social media by “sharing” the government’s policies and initiatives.

The principal secretary, information department, Sanjay Prasad, in an official release, maintained that following the policy, the residents of the state who are residing in different parts of the country will be ensured employment. The release stated that the government has decided to list “agencies/firms to give advertisements to promote them for making and displaying content through a digital medium like tweets/videos/posts/reels about schemes and achievements of the UP government, which will help in employment opportunities to citizens of the state.”

The policy has divided the influencers into four categories with payment limits based on subscribers and followers on their platforms.

For X, Facebook and Instagram, the maximum monthly payment limits are set at Rs 5 lakhs, Rs 4 lakhs, Rs 3 lakhs and Rs 2 lakhs respectively. On YouTube, the payment limits for videos, shorts and podcasts are `4 lakhs, `6 lakhs, `7 lakhs and `8 lakhs, respectively.