Not content with merely getting a certificate from the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation(RGF), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Gujarat wants to have it framed for all to see.The Information Department has engaged three private agencies to design newspaper ads, brochures, posters, hoardings, and presentations on CD that will all highlight that Gujarat ranks first among all states on the Economic Freedom Index (EFI),that too in a study conducted by an institute run by a foundation whose chairperson is Congress president Sonia Gandhi.‘‘The report says we are ranked first, and for us it is an opportunity to spread the message,’’ says Dipin Kumar Shrimali, a director in the Information Department. ‘‘The campaign will be kicked off soon, and final details are being worked out.’’Officials involved in the proposed campaign said the findings of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation’s Institute for Contemporary Studies would be used to invite foreign investment and also affirm that ‘‘life in Gujarat is safe and progressive.’’The institute had found that Gujarat was a safe and peaceful state for conducting business, it had a low level of economic crime, and there was less corruption.The three agencies chosen for this campaign are Grey Worldwide, Brand Aid, and One Advertising & Consulting Services Ltd. However, it wasn’t clear what work has been assigned to which agency. Campaign handlers for the three agencies confirmed that the assignment was at hand. But neither government officials nor agency staff were willing to discuss the expenditure.‘‘For us it is like designing a promotion campaign for a corporate client,’’ said a Grey Worldwide official, who has worked on many government campaigns, such as those designed for the Vibrant Gujarat programme.Said Vaibhavi Bhatt of One, ‘‘The government is opting for an integrated communication approach and we have been asked to highlight the facts published in the RGICS report combined with an invitation for investors across the globe.’’She said the state government was different to work with,‘‘working with the Gujarat government has been a good experience. Officials believe in cracking the creative concept rather than in printing dull and boring ads.’’The campaign puts the Congress opposition in a tricky situation. But Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Arjun Modhvadia said this was a wily move.‘‘Why doesn’t Modi use what Atal Behari Vajpayee and Sundar Singh Bhandari said in an ad campaign? It doesn’t suit him. He’s twisting a simple economic freedom index report and quoting it out of context,’’ Modhvadia complained.
