PM devises an extensive media outreach plan

According to sources, the government and the ruling Congress party have worked out a new communication strategy following the opposition upping the ante over a host of issues ranging from inflation to corruption ahead of the monsoon session of parliament, scheduled to begin on August 1.

The new strategy will include frequent meetings between the prime minister and senior editors of both print and electronic media . It could also entail the prime minister meeting senior journalists almost every week, informed sources said.

The media outreach plan is being worked out to dispel the widespread impression that the Prime Minister has been unusually quiet, and possibly avoiding the public glare, amid increasingly shrill accusations about non-performance and malfeasance in his administration, sources added.

Singh has so far held only three nationally televised press conferences in the last seven years. He last spoke to editors of some TV channels four months ago. The image of the UPA government has taken a battering in recent months following scams like the sale of 2G spectrum and deals struck ahead of the Commonwealth Games as well as debates over the Lokpal bill.

A PMO functionary hoped that Singh’s Wednesday interaction with editors would become the "preferred format for regular interactions" between the groups of editors and the Prime Minister.