Farm laws: IRCTC sends about 2 crore emails listing Centre’s decisions to support Sikh community
The PSU clarified that the mails were sent to all people in its database, dismissing reports that only Sikhs were part of the outreach programme.
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation has sent out about 2 crore emails between December 8 and December 12 to its customers on 13 decisions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support the Sikh community, reported PTI. The move came amid the ongoing protests by farmers against the Centre’s agriculture laws.
IRCTC is a subsidiary of the Indian Railways that handles the catering, tourism and online ticketing operations.
Officials said that emails containing “PM Modi and his government’s special relationship with Sikh”, a 47-page booklet, were sent out as part of a government outreach programme to raise awareness about the farm laws and dispel rumours around them.
However, it clarified that the emails were sent out to the entire database of the IRCTC, dismissing reports that only members of the Sikh community were part of the outreach programme. “The mails have been sent to all, irrespective of any particular community,” the statement said. “This is not the first instance. Earlier also such activities have been undertaken by IRCTC to promote government welfare schemes in public interest.”
The officials also pointed out that the mails were a conscious choice undertaken by the company as part of its communication strategy in public interest. “Which professional company or corporate doesn’t analyse the demographic profile of the audience where the communication is to be delivered to,” an official said. “Why are some surprised if a government organisation is able to do as much or even better than what the corporates do day in and day out?” The official added that people should be happy that the government was disseminating information in public interest.
The booklet, available in English, Hindi and Punjabi, lists various decisions taken by the Modi government for the welfare of the Sikh community such as the Kartarpur corridor, Jallianwala Bagh Memorial, no langar taxes, Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act registration given to Sri Harmandir Sahib, among others.
The farm law protests have entered the 19th day as the Centre and the farmers have failed to reach a consensus after several failed talks. The farmers are demanding the complete withdrawal of the laws, while the government has offered to make amendments to them. The farmers have intensified their protests and started a hunger strike on Monday.