The Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh has introduced a new social media policy, entailing stringent punishment for those posting “anti-national or derogatory content.” The policy offers financial rewards for influencers promoting government policies. The ‘UP Digital Media Policy 2024’ was cleared by the UP cabinet on Tuesday evening, Business Standard reported.The policy has stringent provisions to book those posting “derogatory/indecent, vulgar and anti-national content on social media”, the report added.Under the new policy, if found guilty, there is a provision for punishment ranging from three years to life imprisonment (for anti-national activities).An accused could also stand trial for criminal defamation for posting indecent and obscene content on social media.Under the policy, the government would give advertisements to eligible visual and digital media firms and influencers active on popular social media platforms of X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. The actual payment would be determined on the basis of subscribers and followers commanded by these firms and social media influencers.UP Cabinet minister Anil Rajbhar was quoted by a report as telling IANS, “The Cabinet gave its approval, and any use of social media platforms against the nation should indeed be dealt with strictly…This also provides a solution to the problem of unemployment, offering a good opportunity for those involved in social media and digital media to connect with this initiative..”
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