The press release issued by the Co-ordinator Media Research Centre , Dr Padma Rani stated that the conference would be inaugurated by Rohan Samarajiva, the founding Chair of LIRNEasia, an ICT policy think tank, and Chair of Communication Policy Research South. Samarajiva will deliver the keynote address on the topic ‘Communication Policy in the age of Facebook’. Manipal University Registrar Dr Narayan Sabhahit is the Guest of honour on the occasion.

The two day conference is an attempt to introduce a unique international conference of South Asian scholars to discuss Media and Communication Policy of India and neighboring countries that has influenced our current media communication policy. India’s Communication Policy has influenced the functioning of its matured democracy. It has proven how the communication policy can influence citizen’s opinion reflected in the recent five state elections of India. In these elections all forms of communications were used including social media to influence the voter’s views.

Media including Social media might have played an important role in voter’s decision making that will be an area of serious debate and discussion. Media researchers continue to hold the view supported by filed observations that negate such influences. Hence there is a need to have a clear communication policy in the use of media in South Asian countries. Exceptions apart, South Asia having colonial past, one of the issues that must be discussed in the conference on how to decolonize communication policy originally designed to control, divide and rule policy.

Around 50 delegates from outside Manipal are expected to participate in the two day international conference.30 Technical papers will be presented in the twodays.The particpants are from 6 different countries and ten states of India. A session on research poster presentation by students would be held on the occasion.

The plenary speakers include Dr. Buroshiva Dasgupta, the former Professor/Director NSHM Institute of Media and Design (NIMD), Kolkata, Dr. Bashabi Fraser a poet, children’s writer, translator and editor, Ashoka Dias, director of MTV & MBC, MTV Channel (PVT) Limited,Maithili Ganjoo, a Social Anthropologist by training, have specialized in developing communication for Behaviour Change that leads to social good. Nirmala Mani Adhikary, a prominent communication theorist from Nepal. Dr. Md. Golam Rahman, the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of Information Commission, Bangladesh. Dr. Mariam Shaikh a career civil servant working for the Federal Government of Pakistan and Wan Aida Wan Yahaya, is a Senior Lecturer Faculty of Film, Theatre and Animation, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.