Kumar Bahukhandi
IN Short
*Two-day state-level skill enhancement workshop organized for Public Relations Department officials
*Public relations officers will be able to discharge their duties more effectively with modern techniques and tools – Pankaj Jha
Raipur: In the changing media landscape, effective, credible, and timely communication is the biggest challenge for public relations today. With this in mind, a two-day state-level skill enhancement workshop was organised for the officers of the Public Relations Department.
On the second day on Tuesday January 13, 2026 , extensive and in-depth discussions were held on strategic communication, administrative roles, and the practical application of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The officers also clarified their doubts and queries through question-and-answer sessions with the experts who provided the training. Officers from all district offices of the Public Relations Department and the Directorate participated in the workshop.
Addressing the concluding session of the workshop, Pankaj Jha, Media Advisor to Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, emphasised the importance of public relations officers establishing strong relationships with the media.
He described the workshop as extremely useful and timely, expressing hope that this practical training would enhance the professional efficiency of all officers. He said they would be able to discharge their public relations duties more effectively with modern techniques and tools. He suggested that such training should be organised regularly to enhance the efficiency of the department’s officers, Jha added.
On the second day of the workshop, in the first session, Subhash Mishra, editor of the ‘Aaj Ki Jandhara’ newspaper and retired Additional Director of the Public Relations Department, discussed in detail the emerging trends in public relations through the RACE formula.
Mishra explained measures for effective public relations through Research, Action, Communication, and Evaluation. He explained that effective public relations is not just about disseminating information, but a process of research-based planning, thoughtful implementation, clear communication, and continuous evaluation. He gave several examples to illustrate how adopting this model can make public relations more results-oriented.
In the second session, on the topic of “Challenges in Public Relations,” Shashank Sharma, editor of ‘Samachar Pachisa’ and president of the Chhattisgarh Sahitya Parishad, discussed the changing work style of the media, the increasing role of digital media, fake news, and the challenges of providing timely and factual responses.
Sharma said that public relations officers should understand the expectations of media organisations and provide reliable and balanced information.
In the third session, Sushil Trivedi, a retired Indian Administrative Service officer and author, provided detailed guidance on the qualities of a public relations officer and their role in administration.
He said that public relations officers are the link of trust between the government and the public. Their role is not limited to simply providing information, but understanding public sentiment and conveying it to the administration is equally important, Trivedi added.
In the final session, senior journalist Joseph John provided detailed information on the possibilities of effectively using AI in the work of the public relations department. He discussed the techniques of giving clear prompts to achieve good results with AI tools, different types of prompts—from zero-shot to chain-of-thought, from basic prompts to context engineering, identifying AI hallucinations (incorrect output), and the necessity of Human-in-the-Loop.
Joseph also provided practical training on some AI tools and demonstrated how to use them for quick research, content repurposing, fact-checking, brainstorming, and making the daily tasks of the public relations department simpler, faster, and more effective.
Additional Directors Jawaharlal Dario, Umesh Mishra, Sanjeev Tiwari, Alok Dev, Harsha Pauranik, and Santosh Maurya, and D S Kushram along with other officers from the Directorate and districts, were present at the workshop.
