Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday, 10 July appointed Abhay Kumar Verma, Member of the Legislative Assembly, as the Chief Spokesperson of the Delhi government, in a move aimed at strengthening official communication with the media and presenting the government's authorised stance on key policy matters. The appointments took effect immediately, according to an official statement.

Key Appointments

Alongside Verma's elevation as Chief Spokesperson, legislators Anil Kumar Sharma and Harish Khurana were designated as government spokespersons. All three appointments are effective from the date of the announcement. The trio will be responsible for conveying official and factual information on the government's policy decisions, development works, and public welfare schemes to citizens and the media in a time-bound manner.

What the Chief Minister Said

Chief Minister Gupta underscored that effective public communication is a foundational element of good governance in a democracy. 'The appointment of the Chief Spokesperson and spokespersons will further strengthen the dialogue between the government and its citizens,' she said, according to the official statement. She added that the decision reflects the government's commitment to transparent, accountable, and citizen-centric governance.

Roles and Responsibilities

The newly appointed spokespersons will present the Delhi government's authorised stance on contemporary issues and share official information on major policy initiatives and matters of public interest. They will also provide clarifications to the media on the government's behalf whenever required, and relay the government's perspective to the public based on inputs from various departments. The mechanism is intended to ensure that authentic and timely governance-related information reaches citizens in an organised manner.

Rainwater Harvesting MoU Also Signed

In a separate development on the same day, a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at the Delhi Secretariat under the 'Catch the Rain' initiative, in the presence of Chief Minister Gupta. The agreement was executed between Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL), the Directorate of Education, and an NGO. Under the MoU, a rainwater harvesting project will be implemented across 75 CM Shri Schools in Delhi under IGL's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. The project covers the audit and restoration of existing rainwater harvesting systems on school campuses, as well as installation of new rooftop systems. Water conservation and environmental awareness programmes will also be organised for students and teachers.

Together, the two announcements signal the Delhi government's intent to sharpen both its public communication infrastructure and its on-ground environmental commitments in the weeks ahead.