No, Punjab Govt Didn't Issue Circular To Monitor Employees' Social Media Accounts

A notification about tracking Punjab government employees' social media accounts for posts critical of the government or its policies has been widely circulated on social media. The post is being shared with the claim that the CM Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab issued the notification for its employees in the state.

Claim:

The viral notification seems to concern an organization's social media policy. It reads: "It was observed that some government employees are openly criticizing/commenting adversely on the government policies/achievements etc., on the social media platforms."

"Directions: Chief Secretary directed all Administrative Secretaries to monitor the social media networks on regular basis and identify the employees criticising/commenting adversely on the government policies/achievements etc., on the social media and issue notices to these employees under intimation to the General Administration Department. GAD will issue necessary Circular Instructions in this regard."

Lawyer Prashant Bhushan shared the image with the claim, "A party which came to power on the basis of transparency accountability and participatory democracy, got rid of all transparency & accountability soon after coming to power. Now seeks to penalise govt servants criticising their govt. This is the AAP govt in Punjab."

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Gujarat's media head, Twitter page Megh Updates, Akhilesh Kant Jha, political activist Adnan Ali Khan, news agency IANS, and OpIndia shared the image with similar claims criticizing the AAP.

Fact Check:

We conducted a reverse image search using the viral image. This threw up a result on the Telegram channel of students preparing for the Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board. The message was sent on January 18, 2023.

In the notification, it can be seen that the notification is regarding vacancies in Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection and Recruitment Board (JKSSRB) and the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC). "It was informed that an annual calendar for referral of vacancies is proposed to be notified which will ensure that the vacancies, which accrue in calendar year, are referred to the JKSSRB/JKPSC well before April 1 each year. JKSSRB/JKPSC shall notify referred vacancies for recruitment on April 1, every year," the notification read.

We also came across a report by The Hindu published on February 20, 2023. The Hindu report confirmed that the J&K administration has barred government employees from criticizing or posting adverse comments on government policies on social media platforms.

We also came across a report by Outlook India published on February 19, 2023. The report notes that Chief Secretary A K Mehta passed the direction at a meeting. Reportedly, Mehta directed all administrative secretaries to regularly monitor the social media networks and issue notices to the employees for comments critical of the government.

We also came across a tweet by the verified handle of AAP Punjab published on February 21, 2023. The tweet read, "A notification of J&K Admin is FALSELY portrayed as belonging to Punjab Govt The news was circulated by these notorious accounts & media handles."

Conclusion:

We found that the AAP government in Punjab did not issue a circular regarding the social media activity of its employees. The viral image is of the direction the Jammu and Kashmir administration gave.

If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.

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