JAMMU, FEBRUARY 12: The government Thursday informed the House that the Information Department has established a dedicated Media Monitoring Cell (MMC) in the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) to track fake and misleading news on real time basis and issue prompt rebuttals through press releases and official social media platforms.
This was stated by Education Minister, Sakeena Itoo, while replying to a question raised by Legislator R.S. Pathania regarding measures to tackle misinformation on behalf of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the Legislative Assembly.
The Minister, as per an official statement, stated that the MMC continuously monitors print, electronic and social media platforms and as soon as any fake or misleading content is identified, rebuttals and fact-check posts are issued to keep the public informed.
She informed the House that 28 rebuttals have been issued by the DIPR between 1st April 2025 and 31st January 2026, through 20 press releases and eight through social media handles.
The Minister further said that all the departments have designated Nodal Officers to monitor department specific misinformation. She added that these officers have been provided login credentials to upload fake news details on a dedicated portal created by DIPR for timely rebuttal and dissemination.
The Minister also clarified that the regulation of websites, digital platforms and online news channels does not fall under the mandate of the Information Department, adding that the imposition of penalties or fines on organizations spreading misinformation is outside its purview.
The Minister also made it clear that the Information Department does not recognize or authorize any private Fact Checking Unit (FCU), nor does it verify or grade such entities.
Referring to the evolving media landscape, she said that suitable provisions have been proposed in the draft New Media Policy–2026 to establish a regulatory framework for news and social media along with print media and draft policy is currently under inter-departmental consultation for finalization.
Sharing inputs from the Information Technology Department, the Minister said that comprehensive measures have been undertaken to strengthen the cyber security infrastructure across government departments/institutions and provide them sustained support against the emerging cyber threats and digital manipulations.
She added that mandatory security audits of websites and web applications hosted on State Data Centre and NIC Mini Data Centre have been conducted besides redundant websites have been decommissioned.
She added that Cyber Crisis Management Plans have been prepared by all the departments while capacity building initiatives such as cyber drills, trainings, Cyber Jagrookta Diwas observance and mandatory iGOT cyber security courses are being carried out across the Union Territory.
In a supplementary reply, the Minister said rebuttals against fake or misleading news are also issued for publication in the immediate next edition of newspapers besides being uploaded on the official DIPR website.
She further highlighted that the J&K Media Policy 2020 authorizes DIPR to monitor content for fake news, plagiarism and unethical or anti-national activities and de-empanel media houses or withhold government advertisements in such cases. She added that if such entities are registered by the Press Registrar General of India under Press & Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023, their de-registration is recommended under this Act.
