Know Your Leader: Dr Harsh Vardhan

Armed with a website, an application and accounts on all major social media platforms, Dr Harsh Vardhan is big on documentation of events.

Dr Harsh Vardhan — Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Science and Technology and Earth Sciences

Social media footprint

Dr Harsh Vardhan has a very strong visual presence online and an aura that is similar to the one around Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the digital world. Dr Vardhan has a website and an application to disseminate information about his ministry and the government at large. An urge can be felt in his communication, nudging people to stay connected and participate in the administrative process. Given how he handles the health ministry, people often seem to send him suggestions and requests to better the facilities, especially in rural areas. He communicates in English and Hindi.

Sharing a slice of work

Everything that should be known about Dr Harsh Vardhan in the public domain is available on his website. This includes his journey, early days, work life, a slice of personal life and everyday functioning as a minister. He uses his social media profiles to put across information in real time, often in the form of press releases and short new formats. On Twitter, his communication is brief. On Facebook, he releases long format texts with ample details. On all platforms, he often shares engaging creatives along with real-life pictures for effective communication. Parliamentary speeches too form a big part of his social media presence.

People connect

Dr Vardhan is not as active on Instagram and the account is not a verified one. However, it is listed on his website and hence has been considered here. His Instagram profile, much like other ministers, is a showreel of their interactions with public and other dignitaries. Though the pictures present imagery caught in time in a professional capacity, there is a casual vibe to them, something the youth is likely to engage with. This reflects on how Dr Vardhan's social media presence is optimised according to the platforms and the target audience that is likely to be present there.

This is a part of the series — Know Your Leader. It's a series by Social Samosa where we put across a concise analysis of how our cabinet ministers use social media to communicate. You can read all the parts here.