Urges OIS officers to bridge the governance gap through effective public dialogue and citizen engagement

 

THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, OCTOBER 9, 2026

Effective governance begins with meaningful communication with citizens, and public dialogue must be treated as a foundational responsibility of administration rather than an afterthought, Akhil Kumar Mishra, Additional Director General (ADG), Press Information Bureau (PIB) and Central Bureau of Communication (CBC), Bhubaneswar, said on Friday.

Addressing Odisha Information Service (OIS) officers at an interactive orientation programme at Loka Seva Bhavan here, he stressed the need for transparent, ethical and citizen-centric communication to bridge the gap between government policies and public understanding.

Drawing on more than three decades of experience observing governance at the State and Centre, Mishra said that, barring critical sovereign concerns such as national security, the core issues of governance ultimately converged on the common citizen. With the communication landscape undergoing a fundamental transformation, he urged information officers to understand emerging channels of engagement and adapt their approaches to the changing expectations of the public.

 “The communication landscape has undergone a radical transformation, and officers must decipher and navigate this evolving process,” he said, emphasising that effective public communication was essential to ensuring that government initiatives translated into tangible benefits for citizens.

Invoking philosophical and literary traditions, Mishra underlined the enduring relationship between dialogue, social cohesion and civilisational progress. Referring to the Krishna–Arjuna dialogue in the Bhagavad Gita and the Vashistha–Rama discourse in the Yoga Vashistha, he observed that communication had long been central to the articulation of ethical principles and ideals of governance, including the concept of Ramrajya.

Citing sociologist David Riesman’s seminal work The Lonely Crowd, he drew attention to the wider social consequences of institutional communication. The words used by public servants, he said, could shape public attitudes, strengthen civic bonds or deepen alienation.

 “Words do not merely affect us temporarily; they socialize or unsocialize us. Every piece of institutional communication either builds civic cohesion or deepens alienation,” he said.

On administrative accountability, Mishra referred to Albert Camus’s short story The Guest to illustrate the moral dilemmas that public officials may encounter in the discharge of their duties. He emphasised that civil servants, by virtue of their institutional responsibilities, were accountable to both the State and its citizens.

Distinguishing public duty from personal considerations, he said the demands of Rajakarya (official duty) must take precedence over Pitrukarya (personal or familial obligations) in the discharge of public responsibilities. Government service, he observed, was a conscious choice that entailed an enduring commitment to duty, institutional integrity and public trust.

While criticism and scepticism were part of public life, he said, effective administration required resilience, constructive engagement and a strong sense of accountability. Public servants, he added, must remain committed to the institutions they serve while ensuring that their actions and communication reflect the larger public interest.

The programme also featured an experiential blindfold simulation designed to demonstrate the complexities of message transmission, leadership, trust and directional ambiguity. Reflecting on the exercise, Mishra cautioned officers against equating the mere dissemination of information with meaningful communication.

 “Merely passing down a pamphlet, booklet, or hoarding is not communication — it is merely functioning as a postman,” he said, stressing that genuine engagement required clarity, actionable guidance, empathy and active listening.

He described communication as a two-way process in which feedback and an understanding of citizens’ concerns were as important as the delivery of official messages. Information officers, he said, should equip their teams and communication networks with adequate context and clear instructions to ensure that welfare schemes and government initiatives reached the last mile without distortion or loss of meaning.

The emphasis, he indicated, must be on enabling citizens not merely to receive information but also to understand government decisions, access public services and engage meaningfully with the administration.

Sanjay Kumar Biswal, Director of the Information and Public Relations (I&PR) Department, Government of Odisha, attended the programme along with senior officers and representatives of the State administration.