Patna: The Bihar government has approved amendments to its Social Media and Online Media Policy, paving the way for a payment mechanism for eligible social media creators and online media platforms producing content about government schemes, development initiatives and public welfare programmes.
The revised framework is intended to expand the government’s digital outreach and use social media and other online platforms to communicate information about its policies and achievements to a wider audience.
The state’s existing Bihar Social Media and Online Media Policy, 2024 provides for the empanelment of individual social media operators and registered companies. The government’s online portal currently lists eligibility requirements, including a minimum of 100,000 followers for individual social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X or YouTube, or at least 50,000 unique monthly users for web media or mobile applications.
Up to Rs 10,000 for content reaching 1,00,000 views
According to information released following the cabinet decision, eligible content attracting up to 1,00,000 views could qualify for a payment of up to Rs 10,000. On the same basis, content reaching 1 million views could potentially attract a payment of up to Rs 1 lakh.
The proposed figures should not, however, be interpreted as an automatic payout for every post or video reaching those numbers. Actual payments will depend on eligibility criteria, the nature of the content, the platform, the method used to verify views and other conditions prescribed by the government.
The existing policy already requires social media applicants to submit analytics reports covering the previous six months as part of the empanelment process.
Detailed rules awaited
The key details of the revised payment mechanism are yet to be clarified.
These include which platforms will qualify, what categories of content will be eligible, how views will be verified and whether additional requirements relating to followers, reach, registration or content quality will apply.
The Bihar government’s existing empanelment portal allows eligible individuals and registered companies to apply under the 2024 policy and requires documents including registration details, GST and PAN records, bank details and platform analytics.
The government’s Information and Public Relations Department is already operating an online system for empanelled social media influencers, including provisions for uploading documents for bill generation after advertisements have been successfully posted.
Digital outreach to become a larger part of government communication
The proposed changes are aimed at bringing more social media creators and online media organisations into the government’s information-dissemination network.
The government hopes the system will help information about welfare schemes, development projects and public programmes reach audiences through digital channels, particularly as social media becomes an increasingly important source of information.
The next step will be the release of the detailed notification and revised regulations. Until those rules are issued, the Rs 10,000 figure for 1,00,000 views is best understood as a maximum potential payment rather than a guaranteed rate for every eligible piece of content.
