The Gazetteers Department

The Directorate of Publicity, Bombay, has a District Publicity Office situated at Wardha in charge of a District Publicity Officer. The District Publicity Officer works under the supervision of the Regional Publicity Officer, Nagpur. He is a liaison between Government offices and the press of the district. He gives wide publicity to the developmental activities and various schemes undertaken by the State Government.

The media of documentary films, newspapers, booklets, periodicals and other visual aids are used for the purpose of educating the people. The District Publicity Officer issues news items and articles to the local newspapers of the district. He keeps close contacts with the officials as well as the social workers, press and the main currents in the public life in the district.

The District Publicity Officer arranges sale and distribution of the publications issued by the Directorate of Publicity as also by the Government of India. He also distributes wall posters, folders, booklets, leaflets etc., brought out by the Directorate of Publicity. He maintains libraries of documentary films produced or released by the Directorate. These films are loaned to the Block Development Officers, colleges, high schools and social institutions having cine projectors for exhibition.

Besides this, the Director of Publicity also runs an Information Centre under the supervision of the District Publicity Officer. The centre fully equipped with various information, charts, maps, models, etc., serves as a useful medium for explaining to the people of the district the progress of various schemes and projects under the Five Year Plans. The centre also provides a free reading room where newspapers, magazines, maps and charts giving information about the district, booklets on Government activities in the district and books of general interest and other reports are kept for ready reference, whose advantage is mainly taken by teachers, students and pressmen. The District Publicity Officer organises cultural programmes, film shows and kavi sammelans, etc., in the Information Centre. The cine-equipment alongwith mobile publicity van have been transferred to the Zilla Parishad.

The District Publicity Officer visits Information Community Centres under the control of Zilla Parishad and gives technical guidance on various aspects of Information Centre.

Rural Broadcasting.

At present about 306 villages in Wardha district have been provided with radio sets under the Contributory Community Listening Scheme of Rural Broadcasting. Under this scheme, a village desirous of having a radio set is required to pay Rs. 175 (Rs. 150 in case of Mains set) as initial installation contribution and Rs. 60 annually as maintenance contribution. The radio sets are installed in public places such as the village panchayat office, the village chawadi and the village library.

The installation and routine maintenance of the radio sets is carried out by the Rural Broadcasting District Unit under the Zilla Parishad, Wardha. A supervisor is in charge of the rural broadcasting unit in this district, who is provided with requisite testing equipment etc., to attend to routine and minor repairing. A vehicle is also stationed at the Rural Broadcasting District Headquarters, for the transport of radio sets, allied accessories and staff to and from villages in the district.

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