Activities: Some important aspects

Along with publicizing development activities of the government, DMC has been conducting motivational campaign on curbing dowry, early marriage, polly marriage, population growth rate, spread of HIV-AIDS, discrimination against women, women and child trafficking and other social taboo. The subjects of motivational programme of DMC included sanitation, immunization, tree plantation, poultry and cattle farming, pisciculture, compulsory primary education and tuition free female education programme, empowerment of women, reproductive health, safe motherhood, mother and child health care etc. These motivational programmes are being mainly carried out from revenue budget. Besides, DMC has been implementing two other specialized projects sponsored by UNICEF and UNFPA. The means for DMC motivational campaign are as follows:

  Exhibition of documentary films and arrangement of folksong sessions on different development activities of the government in cinema houses and open places of remote areas of the country.

  Arrangement of subject wise congregation of women, discussion meeting, seminar and musical functions with a view to integrate rural women, children and underprivileged people with development activities.

  Formation of public opinion by arranging path meeting of different issues on public interest and mobile publicity of slogans on those issues.

  Presentation of subject based public opinion and reaction to government on overall situation of the country especially on social, cultural, economic situation, law and order, education, health etc.

  Supply of public address equipments by 68 information offices on the occasion of different functions, public meetings, national day and reception, national and international level conference of Honorable President, Prime Minister, Ministers and senior government officials and foreign dignitaries.

  Preparation of news on development activities of government, on emergency and instant situations and sending those news to print and electronic media.

  Co-coordinating public interest related publicity programmes with different government and international organizations located at district and upazilla level and implementation of it.

  Country wide distribution and installation of different important publications of govt. viz. posters, publicity booklets etc.

  Publicity of election conduct rules at the time of election of different national and local bodies, assisting in formulation of voter list and motivating people to cast vote.

  Regular inspection of cinema houses by District Information Officers for collection of rentals and stop exhibition of uncensored films.

  Motivating people of remote areas of the country through presentation of subject based folk songs.

Administrative/Organizational Framework

Designation of the Head of the Department of Mass Communication is Director General. There are three sections under him

(i) Administration and Finance (ii) Technical and Training (iii) Publicity and Co-ordination. Each section is headed by a Director. Head Office of the Department of Mass Communication is located in Dhaka. Information offices are placed at 64 districts and 4 upazillas Patia, Lama, Kaptai and Ramgarh. 20 districts including 6 divisional cities are headed by 20 Deputy Directors /Senior Information Officers. Each of other districts are headed by Information Officers and 4 upazillas offices are headed by Assistant Information officers. Approved manpower of department of Mass Communication is 1025 including 84 first class and 96 second class officers. Organizational framework of this department is as below:

Activities : Subject and Implementation

01. Social motivation through mobile exhibition of films

Today it is well acknowledged by all that film is a powerful medium towards social motivation and to formulate public opinion. Innumerable films on different development programmes of the government and social development activities have been made which are being regularly exhibited through District Information Offices. Other than these newsreels made on Honorable President and Prime Minister's visit to different countries and attending in development forums are being exhibited regularly.

02. Seminar/Women Congregation and Discussion Meeting

Half of the country's total population are women. It is the entrusted responsibility of Department of Mass Communication to educate, make conscious and motivate this huge women folk to participate in social development activities. To achieve this goal, publicity wing of this department through District Information Offices arrange seminar, meeting and discussion meeting all over the country. members of the Parliament, elected representatives of local bodies, teachers' representatives of local religious institution, local elites attend and speak in these seminars and meetings. Moreover, at the end of these functions musical soiree and exhibition of films highlighting development messages are also arranged.

03. Arrangement of motivational musical soiree

Specially in case of disseminating development messages, appeal of music is wide ranging. Department of Mass Communication has a 21 member musical team in the head quarter. Other than this, under development head, district and area based musical team present songs on development activities of the government and nation- building matters in towns, ports, markets and popular places of the country.

04. Preparation of fortnightly report on public opinion

It is an important responsibility of the Department of Mass Communication to prepare reaction report of public opinion on overall situation of the country and inform it to concerned higher authority. Officials of 68 District Information Offices in direct consultation with public representatives, professionals, intellectuals and government officials and through international connection prepare subject based public opinion and reaction report on social, political, cultural and economic issues of the country and send it directly to headquarter. Headquarter, after compiling all these reports, prepares a final report and sends it to concerned authority every month.

05. Publicity of Kathamala and group meeting

For the sake of administrative purpose and public welfare different development activities of government, different notices are publicized through street publicity, path meeting, group meeting etc. Moreover, Kathamala is prepared on special programmes of the govt. viz. casting of votes, compulsory primary education, education of women and education stipend, mother and child healthcare, tree plantation, fish farming, sanitation, youth development, increase of freedom fighters, aged and widow allowances, immunization, prevention of acid throwing and women and child trafficking etc. Those are widely publicized through District Information Offices.

06. Department of Mass Communication in election procedure

 
A slogan of Department of Mass Communication "Wherever we are, land or water" still reminds us our duty to cast our votes. As a result of exposing different programmes through folk song, audio-cassette, campaign through public address equipment, mobile exhibition of films and publicity through TV, radio and newspapers, more number of voters feel inspired to cast their votes. From these activities it is evident that through financial assistance, timely supply of necessary publicity equipments, sincerity of concerned officers/staffs and higher authority, DMC can play significant role to motivate a huge section of people in any matter.

07. Formation of public opinion through distribution of booklets

 
Magazine, Posters, leaflets, booklets which are published by Department of Films and publications and other department with a view to social motivation are distributed among upazilla administration, union parishad and grass root level by field level workers of Department of Mass Communication. Through these publicity booklets development policy of government is being presented before 10 million people living in different places of the country.

08. PAE coverage and installation of addressing machine

To provide PAE coverage and installation of addressing machine in different ceremonies, public meetings, and reception on different national days, different national and international conferences of Honourable President, Prime Minister, Ministers and other high officials is an important duty. Head office and district offices of Department of Mass Communication perform the duty by installation of  public address system.

9. Issuing press release

District Information Officers prepare news on different happenings of the country and development programmes  and supply send it to Press Information Department, BTV, and Bangladesh Betar, local and national dailies regularly. They also collect instant news about hartal, cyclone, flood, drought, tidal wave, election, law and order situation etc. and send it to head office through telephone/fax/internet.

10. Cinema hall inspection

 
To prevent exhibition of obscene and illegal uncensored films, District Information Officers, under directions of the governments regularly inspect cinema halls of concerned districts. They also ensure exhibition of 35 mm films supplied by Department of Films and Publications on development programmes. Moreover, they take necessary steps to collect rental of government from cinema houses. Monthly report of cinema houses inspection is sent to head office and head office sends it to administrative ministry and Film Censor Board.

11. Co-ordination among local publicity departments

District officers of Department of Mass Communication perform  duties as Public Relation Officers of District Administrations. For this purpose, co-ordination and implementation of district level government, international and non-government publicity programmes is also an important duty of Department of Mass Communication and District Information Offices.