Re-visiting the Growth of PR in India

Friends, Thank you very much for taking out time from your very busy schedule to read my blog(s). Sharing PR knowledge with you has become my passion now. I feel encouraged after reading your feedback in the comments column. Today I’m happy to present my 89th blog “Re-visiting the Growth of PR in India”.

Friends PR technique was unconsciously used in ancient India. The best example is that of the Emperor Ashoka.
His edicts inscribed on rocks that have survived till this day, informed the people, the policies of the government, and exhorted them to carry out certain tasks. Interestingly, an important principle of public relations was practiced by Ashoka. The edicts for different regions were written in regional scripts that were in use in that region, making royal communication “language and region-specific” for better understanding and acceptability.

Another form of public relations was practiced directly by Indian British Govt. during World War-1 (1914-1918). As in other parts of the world it was necessary to mobilise public support, the Indian British Govt. also felt it necessary to disseminate information. It decided to set up an organisation to feed the press, and supply news about war to the people. A Central Publicity Board was established. The board comprised of representatives from the Army and the foreign and political depts. of the Govt. of India.  After the war this board was dissolved and its functions were taken over by the Central Bureau of Information established in year 1921.

The instability created in Europe by the First World War (1914-18) set the stage for another international conflict - World War II (1939-1945) which broke out two decades later and proved even more devastating. During World War II the Indian British Govt. again felt the need to reach out to the public since Great Britain was also a main party to the war. To mobilize positive support in favour of the war efforts was difficult for the Indian British Govt. in a situation where Indian National Congress and the national sentiments were generally against the war effort. The Indian British Govt. therefore, took a number of measures;

a. Ministry of Information & Broadcasting was created. 

b. Central Bureau of Information created earlier was merged with the new ministry. 

c. A National War Front was set up and a number of other units were also created under I & B such as; 1. The War Purposes Exhibition Unit, 2. Films Division and 3. Central Bureau of Public Opinion.

The I & B Ministry consciously used PR techniques to create opinion in favour of the war effort. The need for mobilizing the public opinion in favour of the war gave birth to organised and conscious PR activities in INDIA. During the Pre – Independence era extensive use of the PR techniques was made in India before professional PR arrived on the scene. The PR techniques also played a significant role in the national movement. PR methods used by father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi were truly effective and paid great results in; 

1. Communicating with the masses,

2. Winning public support despite the problems of cultural and linguistic diversity,

3. Overcoming the serious obstacles laid by the ruling British Govt.

Many of the methods adopted by Mahatma Gandhi to communicate with the masses are now part of the standard practice of PR all over the world. To know the methods adopted by Gandhi ji you may read my blog titled “Public Relations and Mahatma Gandhi”.

With the dawn of independence a democratically elected government started functioning in India. Realising the importance of keeping people informed, the govt. began to develop infrastructure of a vast information and mass communication network to suit its objectives and priorities. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting served as nodal ministry in this field for setting up and monitoring the information network through its various media units like the PIB, DAVP, AIR, DD, Films Division, and Publication Division.

Although Public Relations was well developed in early 1900s in the United States of America, its application to the Indian scene became noticeable only in the early 1950s. PR was confined to the multinational organisations, which realized the importance of building up opinion in their favour under the new political setup. After the independence, the public opinion was unfavorable to foreign multinational companies operating in India because Indian public viewed them as an extension of the foreign rule in the area of trade, industry and commerce.

Therefore both, the Govt. and the business organisations had to adopt conscious and deliberate policies and programmes of public relations. It is from this period of 1950’s that the PR practice in the modern sense began in India. Large international companies like Burma Shell, ESSO, Caltex, Dunlop, Phillips etc. began to use PR techniques in India so that they would be able to survive and grow in post-independence era.   

Among the Indian business groups, the Tata Group were the first to realize the importance of Public Relations as an instrument of growth to create an atmosphere of trust between business, the government and masses. Industrial Development & Regulation Act, Monopolies & Restrictive Trade Practices Act, The Companies Act and setting up of so many bodies to regulate the various aspects of the functioning of industry created a situation where it became necessary for the industry to develop relations with the government, its many regulatory organisations and with the parliament, hence the need of PR. 

The Industrial Policy Resolution had demarcated certain areas where private sector could not play a part. Those were reserved for public or Govt. sector e.g. Public Utilities like Post & Telegraph, Power, Irrigation, Railways, Defence Production. Since Govt. & Public Sector was in advantageous position as far as publicity is concerned, the entire govt. infrastructure of information and communication was available to them.

Public Sector Undertakings, therefore, started setting up of PR depts. As per the guidelines issued by the parliamentary committee on Public Sector Undertakings it was felt that they owed it to the public to keep them informed about their state of business. Similarly many private enterprises also began setting up of PR depts. which resulted in emergence of PR professionals.

Public Sector Undertakings also felt the need of a platform to share their problems and for this purpose Standing Committee on Public Enterprises (SCOPE) was set up where meetings of PR Professionals of public undertakings were held to discuss the various problems faced by them and to evolve a uniform set of guidelines. On the similar lines the corporate sector also created various platforms like CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, PHDCCI etc. to share their problems etc.

A need was felt for a professional PR body to represent the Indian PR & communication industry, hence the formation of Association of Business Communicators of India (ABCI) in 1957, Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) in 1958, Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI) in 2001 and Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) in 2004.

These professional bodies did much to increase the status of the PR Professionals by holding seminars and conferences, by creating opportunities for PR training and rewarding the outstanding PR professionals and organisations.  Also educational institutes providing professional courses like IIMC, IMSIT-YMCA, SPCC&M-BVB etc. started PG Diploma Courses in Public Relations. These courses further helped to set standards for the profession of PR and gave it an important status in the corporate life of the country.

Also, the political, social, and economic environment, the emergence of pressure groups, surfacing of issues and trends like consumerism, environment protection, liberalization, and creation of competitive environment offer unlimited scope for the growth and practice of public relations in India.

To conclude; sharing data related to Growth of PR Industry in India sourced from PRCAI report.

·        PR industry in India grew 12% to reach Rs 1,600crores in March’ 2019. 

·        The industry continued to grow at a CAGR i.e. compound annual growth rate of 12.5 per cent, to reach Rs 1,800 crore by March’ 2020.

·        The industry is expected to grow at 15 percent to reach Rs 2,270 crores by March’ 2021. (Actual Figures not available as of now)

·        There are more then 1100+ PR consultancies in India

·        As per a study done by PRCAI every year, estimated 1,000-1,200 individuals join the estimated 30,000 professional strong Indian PR sector.

·        According to a survey the PR industry in India is growing at an annual rate of 32 percent.

 

Thank you for reading the blog.

Lots of PR J

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