Bhubaneswar, June 23 (IANS): The Odisha government has decided to formulate a new advertisement policy for the electronic and print media, said an official on Tuesday.

Holding a review meeting of the Information and Public Relations (I&PR) department here, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik asked the inter-departmental committee, formed under the chairmanship of the Development Commissioner, to recommend the new policy to the state government at the earliest.

The chief minister also directed the department to include more journalists under the Journalists' Welfare Fund to provide treatment assistance.

Aiming to speed up the process to receive and approve the applications of journalists, Patnaik asked the department to make arrangements for receiving online and providing financial assistance to them within two months, said a release from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

The chief minister also asked the department to lay more emphasis on the social media.

Besides, Patnaik also advised initiating of measures so that Right to Information (RTI) -related services including receiving applications to the disposal of cases are performed online.