Uttar Pradesh’s Information Department has been quietly, but decisively, reshaped under Director IAS Vishal Singh. Known for a hands-on, public-facing style, Singh has moved the department away from paper files and opaque approvals and toward a system that is faster, cleaner, and easier for both journalists and citizens to navigate.
Digital Revolution and Transparency
Singh is credited with “changing the image of the department,” and the evidence is easy to see. The new e-Media Portal has replaced the old maze of manual submissions and follow-ups.
Advertisement releases, approvals, and key decisions are now traceable online, cutting delays and removing the guesswork that once frustrated editors and reporters. The result is a process that not only runs on time but can also be explained and audited, vital for public confidence.
Strengthening the Media Ecosystem
Journalist welfare sits at the heart of the reforms. Grievances get logged and resolved faster, district and regional media receive more consistent support, and access to government programs is clearer and fairer. By making it easier for reporters outside big metro newsrooms to do their jobs, the department has widened the conversation and encouraged fact-forward coverage that serves readers, not rumor.
Internally, the shift to digital has streamlined day-to-day work. As documents are transmitted electronically and data is accessible in real-time, teams collaborate more effectively and share responsibility for what they approve. It is a real-world example of Singh’s assertion that data-informed government does not exist as a catchphrase; it is how one makes a large department operate in a reliable fashion.
Efficiency Through Digitization
Most importantly, the department’s relationship with the media has begun to feel less defensive and more transparent with each passing moment. Rather than serving in the capacity of a gatekeeper, the department serves the function of information facilitator: providing timely updates, responding to inquiries, and maintaining warm lines of communication/platforms. That is the mode of thinking, transparency first, partnership always, that builds durability into these changes.
