The Andhra Pradesh government headed by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is set to woo social media influencers to spread information about the state’s welfare schemes and initiatives.
A new policy to formally engage social media influencers to disseminate information was issued on September 28, following a formal approval by the state cabinet. The policy’s objective is to strengthen its digital outreach and public communication by using influencers to “amplify” government communications and public-awareness campaigns, including the active promotion of welfare schemes, infrastructure development and other initiatives across the state.
This network of influencers will complement the existing wide network of employees working under the information and public relations (I&PR) department across the state. The state government also has the Andhra Pradesh Digital Corporation Limited (APDCL). The APDCL’s -- which has outsourced hundreds of employees -- objective is to use digital and social media to propagate government programmes and policies, post messages from the CM and his cabinet colleagues, issuing rejoinders to negative reports in the media and counter opposition propaganda against the government on social media.
The Naidu government decided to bring in the social media influencers policy, which will also be overseen by the APDCL under I&PR Department, given their expanding and effective outreach to the younger generation.
Under the policy, influencers operating on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X can seek official APDCL empanelment. The initial empanelment will be valid for one year and can be extended for another two years, one year at a time.
{{/usCountry}}Under the policy, influencers operating on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X can seek official APDCL empanelment. The initial empanelment will be valid for one year and can be extended for another two years, one year at a time.
{{/usCountry}}The government has divided influencers into four categories based on their highest follower or subscriber count on any one platform: Category A with one lakh or more followers; Category B with 50,000–99,999 followers, Category C with 25,000–49,999 followers; and Category D having 10,000–24,999 followers.
The remuneration structure is explicitly linked to contract-based paid deliverables. For simply posting graphics supplied by the government, the maximum payment will be ₹1,500 per post for Category A, ₹1,000 for Category, ₹750 for Category C and ₹500 for Category D.
For posting audio-visual material supplied by the government, the maximum remuneration will be ₹2,000 for Category A, ₹1,500 for Category B, ₹1,000 for Category C and ₹750 for Category D.
For audio-visual content created by the influencer and approved by the government, the remuneration will be ₹15,000, ₹7,500, ₹5,000 and ₹2,500 for these four categories. “The maximum amount to be paid to each influencer will be ₹75,000 per month,” the government order said.
Influencers who consistently produce impactful and positive publicity for government schemes and initiatives may be given preference for paid campaigns. “They must disseminate official government information, clarifications and public-awareness material. They are also required to help counter fake news and do fact-checking of posts against the government,” the order said.
The policy excludes obscene, vulgar, sexually suggestive, unlawful, defamatory, communally divisive content, and content promoting hatred or violence. It also lays down standards relating to the dignity and decency of content.
Political analyst Ramu Suravajjula said the Naidu government appears to have taken publicity to a new level by announcing a package for social media influencers. “It shows the government has no faith in its own machinery, particularly the I&PR department and digital media corporation,” he said.
Suravajjula pointed out that all cabinet ministers have their own network of public relations officers and social media teams to issue statements and propagate their messages. “Similarly, all three political parties in the ruling alliance – Telugu Desam Party, Jana Sena Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party – have their own social media wings and publicity wings. What are they doing?” Suravajjula asked.
He said by linking payments to subscriber counts, the government is also implicitly approving the kind of content influencers produce. “Academic research consistently shows that a large share of influencers attract attention through sensationalism, exaggeration, and ethically questionable presentation. The danger is obvious: public money may end up rewarding noise rather than credible information,” he said, adding that credible, trained, and accountable communicators should be encouraged, not paid amplifiers.
Opposition YSR Congress party alleged that the Naidu government was indulging in paid social-media promotion to cover up its failures. “The government has come out with the social media influencer policy after realising that people were no longer trusting its supportive media ecosystem,” party spokesperson Vangaveeti Narendra said.
He said even if one influencer with over one lakh followers posted one video a day, the government would incur an expenditure of ₹4.5 lakh per month. “It is not known how many influencers the government is engaging,” he said and demanded immediate withdrawal of the policy, as tax payers’ money should not be diverted to TDP social media activists and self-promotion.