Current Context : The Uttar Pradesh government introduced a new social media policy encouraging influencers to promote the State government’s initiatives, schemes, and achievements with prize payments.

• Under the policy, digital media platforms and influencers can earn up to Rs 8 lakh a month for video content that propagates the “achievements”, other development work and schemes of the government.

IT CATEGORISED INFLUENCERS IN FOUR CATEGORIES :

• For X, Facebook, and Instagram, the maximum monthly payment limits are set at ₹ 5 lakh, ₹4lakh, ₹3lakh and ₹2 lakh respectively
• On YouTube, the payment limits for videos, shorts, and podcasts are ₹8 lakh, ₹7 lakh, ₹6 lakh, and ₹4 lakh, per month under the A category, B, C and D categories. 
• The new policy also mandates legal action against digital platforms or influencers who upload “objectionable content” on sites such as Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.