Mumbai : Rajesh Malhotra took over as principal director general of the Press Information Bureau today (PIB). Malhotra took over following the retirement of Satyendra Prakash yesterday.
Rajesh Malhotra, an Indian Information Service (IIS) Officer from 1989, had previously worked in the Ministry of Finance since January 2018.
During the critical COVID-19 Pandemic, he effectively guided the Ministry of Finance's media and communication policy in tandem with the various AatmaNirbhar Bharat Packages announced by the government of India over time to provide relief to people and maintain economic balance.
Malhotra has over 32 years of operational experience in media and communication strategy planning and implementation for various central government ministries/departments such as finance, company affairs, agriculture, power, coal, mines, communications & IT, textiles, labour, new & renewable energy.
Furthermore, he was associated with the election commission of India as in-charge of media and communication for 21 years (1996-2017), planning and implementing media and communication strategies during the election commission's six general elections to the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament of India), as well as several State Assembly Polls and elections for the president and VP of India. Malhotra has worked closely with 12 chief election commissioners during his tenure.
Malhotra has a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from IMT in Ghaziabad, as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Media Laws from NALSAR in Hyderabad. He has also participated in a short-term course on Public Policy Analysis at the University of California, Media Management & Strategies at the Thomson Foundation in the United Kingdom, and the Programme on 'Marketing: The Winning Concepts & Practices' at IIM Lucknow in New Delhi. He is also a member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and has a law degree.
Malhotra has experience as a spokesperson in successfully establishing "two-way" communication channels between the government and the media. Throughout his distinguished career, he has successfully managed crisis situations in various, ministries, ensuring that only the correct perspective/information is disseminated to the media. He also has extensive experience coordinating media coverage for international conferences and events, having been a member of various ministerial delegations from India throughout his career.
