PID Activities

(Organogram)

Press Information Department (PID) is one of the most important departments of the Ministry of Information. Its birth is associated not only with the birth of Bangladesh, rather it had its existence even before the liberated Bangladesh, during the regime of East Pakistan but after having been free, under the free sun of Bangladesh, Press Information Department (PID) has started its work at its full length from 1972 while the central and provincial office merged under PID. It is very important to mention that PID carried on its work even during the days of the liberation war of 1971.

Just after the Liberation War, Regional Information Office of the then Provincial East Pakistan Government was reorganized as the present Press Information Department. Later, in 1984 following the advice of Enam Committee, the Research and Information preservation Departments again merged with the Press Information Department.

PID plays the nucleus role in disseminating information through press and media coverage for the people of national and international level to inform government's activity, policy - decision, development plan etc in the form of handout distributed to the press and electronic media for having coverage as the main source of government. At the same time it functions as the two way traffic like letting people know about government's activity and getting the feed back of the mass and reaching it to the government. PID helps creating awareness among them. This department is considered as one of the most sensitive Government organizations.

PID works everyday from the early morning, six 0'clock till the midnight as news-flow never stops for a single bit of moment around the world. PID even remains open during all the national and government holidays and carries on its regular work and time schedule with its three main sections, sub sections and cell. The three main sections are Press, Protocol, and Administration. The subsections are Research and Reference (R&R) and Facts, Personalities and Reference (FP&R). Establishment, Coordination, Press Trend, Clipping and Feature are different cells. There are three Regional Offices of PID in Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi. All these sections, subsections, cell and regional offices function directly under the Principal Information Officer (PIO) who is at the rank of Additional Secretary. The main responsibilities of the main three sections are on Senior Deputy Information Officers (Sr. DPIO). Deputy Information Officers (DPIO) heads the subsections and the cells are headed by Senior Information Officers (Sr. IO). Under the PIO Deputy Principal Information Officers (DPIOs) head the regional offices. There is an Additional Principal Information Officer (APIO) whose rank is equal to the Joint Secretary to the Government, who assists the Principal Information Officer in all respects at the work and responsibility of PIO. Besides, Photographic and Newsroom units work under Press Section.

At present PID has become a dynamic organization. It is now well equipped with computerized color photo lab, media centre and a modern newsroom supported by computers with internet, fax and telex facilities along with efficient manpower and capable enough to provide quick professional assistance for having media coverage.

Strength of Manpower

BCS Officer list_2012

Press Section

Press section takes the main responsibility in organizing press and media coverage with its two strong units i.e newsroom and photographic units. Newsroom works non-stop 365 days from morning till midnight regularly. This section, with the help of photographic section provides and distributes photographs, rejoinders and handouts on regular basis and issues press notes on emergency for having media coverage. It is the only government source of news. It also prepares news brief on behalf of Press Trend section and sends to all Ministries and Bangladesh embassies abroad. Press section also arranges press conferences and press briefing sessions. It organizes media centre equipped with modern communication tools on the arrival of state guests and important foreign delegates. Special media centres are also organized to provide all necessary support to the national and overseas media during important occasions like special national and International events like conference, seminar, symposia, summit, VVIP visit, election disaster etc. Senior Deputy Principal Information officer (Sr. DPIO) head the Press section.

Protocol Section

One of the three main sections of PID is 'Protocol Section' that issues accreditation cards for national and foreign journalists. Besides, the section presents photo albums to the visiting Head of the States, foreign delegates and VVIPs with photos of their visits to different places. Publishing and distributing PID telephone guides is also another important assignments of Protocol Section. The section also provides protocol services during reception and farewell to the state guests and identify the news and media men for their entrance to the high-risk security zones. Senior Deputy Information Officer (Sr. DPIO) head this section.

Administration Section

Administration section is the heart of any organization and so for PID too. The section is a combination of two cells, namely Coordination and Establishment. As coordination in all phases is the main job of administration, so the section co-ordinates in buying all necessary things for office, maintaining and renovating all necessaries, buying and maintaining vehicles, arranging routs for the officers for their coming and going, maintaining accounts for vehicle fuel, preparing monthly bill for fuel, dailies and weeklies, comparing the accounts amount with the released photographs, and keeping the records of all things kept in the store. As a whole, the responsibilities of this section is directing and maintaining departmental vehicles, collecting photographic and other stationary things (functioning as indenting officer), doing every thing on maintenance, renovation and direction, maintaining, renovating and distributing office furniture, buying and distributing all necessary office things, and newspapers and magazines, maintaining all types of co-ordination and communication with the Regional Offices, coordinating inter department issues and over all performing all given duties from the Head of the Department. Senior Deputy Information Officer (Sr. DPIO) is in charge of this section.

Facts, Personalities, Research and Reference (FP&R), Press Trend and Press Clipping (R&R) are the sub sections of PID whose responsibilities are also very important in carrying out PID's function. These subsections are headed by Deputy Information Officers. Each of these sub sections has some units, which are monitored by senior Information Officers (Sr IO).

Under Facts, Personality and Reference (FP& R) Subsection: There is only one unit of Basic Facts, under which there are sub units of media cell, library and Basic Facts of which the in-charge is Senior Information Officer (Sr. IO) and, under the subsection of Research and Reference (R&R), there are two units Press Trend and Press Clippings of which the in-charge officers are Senior Information Officers (Sr. IO).

Facts, Personalities & Reference

Under this subsection, the Basic Facts unit consists of three sub units - Basic Facts, Media Cell and Library, functions playing an important role. This subsection is considered as a strong pillar for actual, basic and true information, which is well equipped with a modern library and computerized permanent media cell. This subsection collects facts and actual information on history, geography, tradition, custom, culture, agriculture, education, health, population, crafts and trends, communications and preserves them in its library and media cell.

This subsection also prepares and preserves the life sketches of the President, Prime Minister, Ministers and different VVIPs and intellectuals of the arena of politics, culture, and economics. This subsection also prepares and publishes different acceptable reports, makes feed back reports on different reference materials, prepares files of newspaper clippings on different subjects and preserves them in computers and provides them at anytime emergency situation and thus strengthens the press coverage of the government. It has thus huge information on paper clippings from 1972 till present after 450 issues.

Research & Reference (R&R)

Press Trend & Press clippings are the two main units of this subsection, monitored by senior Information Offices for each unit. Press Trend unit prepares news trend on the daily published newspapers for the ministries and Bangladesh embassies abroad. It also monitors different foreign reports, prepares foreign press digest, translates different important news and reports and arranges their republication and reprint.

Press Clipping unit makes and sends news clippings from the dailies to the President, Prime Minister and all Ministers of different Ministries according to the subject, necessity and relevance of the clippings respectively. This unit starts their work very early in the morning and finishes their job within 11 am. and thus it helps informing the actual authorities about the news of the whole country and relevant subjects for them.

Feature

Feature is the separate cell of PID, of which the in-charge in Senior Information Officer under the designation of Chief Feature Writer. This cell prepares features on the development activities of the government along with the population welfare activities of the ministries on regular basis and assures their publications in different important dailies.

It also publishes special supplements in the important dailies on special occasions. Other than features, this cell makes, publishes and distributes different mass awakening slogans to cause effective influence on the people for bringing positive change in their attitude.

Thus Press Information Department has a wide range of its responsibilities, which play a very important role in running the country and making the government accountable to the people of the country and thus work accordingly how the mass people want. Thus PID functions as a two-way traffic.

The importance of the activity of this department cannot be measured so easily with bare eyes as it carries out its important work randomly remaining behind the screen.

Allocation of Functions

* Making press coverage arrangements in connection with tours, activities along with photographic coverage of the President, Prime Minister, Ministers, Foreign Delegates and VVIPs.

* Arranging time-to-time press conferences of the President, Prime Minister, Ministers, Foreign Delegates, Guests and Journalists.

* Supplying important paper clippings from the dailies to the President and Prime Minister and all the Ministers of different Ministries.

* Working as the advisor for the government and advising the government on introducing publicity policy and coordinating overall policies.

* Making arrangements for publicity of different aspects of Bangladesh government for the foreign state heads and VVIPs.

* Maintaining liaison with the national press and representatives of the foreign media along with the Dhaka based foreign diplomats.

* Preparing and publishing comprehensive and evaluation reports and features on national issues and development activities of the government.

* Monitoring foreign reports and thus providing news digest.

* Making daily and weekly news trend along with report on news.

* Attaching Public Relation Officers for different ministers and monitoring and helping organize their activities.

* Publishing special supplements on special days and occasions in different important dailies.

* Arranging press and media coverage of the different national and international summits, seminars and workshops.

* Maintaining liaison with the visiting journalists.

* Providing news brief, photograph and publicity related papers to the different Bangladesh embassies abroad.

* Providing accreditation cards to the local and foreign journalists.

* Preparing handouts and press notes on emergency purpose.

* Interpreting the policy and activities of the government through the medium of press for the national and international level.

* Preparing highlights of national and international news press trend of public opinion, criticisms, reference materials, development activities and periodicals.

* Compiling biographies and life sketches of the President, Prime Minister, Ministers and all reputed figures of politics, culture and economics.

* Preparing and preserving reports and articles on the facts of history, geography, culture, agriculture, industry, communication, health and population of Bangladesh.

* Preserving the clippings of important national and international news and views, published in the national press.

* Preserving reference materials, national newspapers, informative publications and maintaining the library and microfilm unit.

* Transmitting regular information and feedback materials to the government and other sources.

* Making different slogans, cartoons and fillers to make the people aware on different health and development issues.

Strength of Manpower

Press Information Department (PID) is headed by Principal Information Officer (PIO) who is supported by 351 officers and employees including 67 class one and 28 class two officers and 198 class three and 57 class four staffs. Among the class one officers the Principal Information Officer (PIO) is assisted by Additional Deputy Information Officer (APIO), three Senior Deputy Information officers (Sr DPIOs), five Deputy Information Officers (DPIOs) of whom three are in charge of Regional Offices of PID, forty Senior Information Officers (Sr. IOs), thirteen Information Officers (IO), twenty four Assistant Information Officers (AIOs).

VISIT www.bdpressinform.org