The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has cleared an exclusive information warfare branch for the Indian Army to combat misinformation campaigns and propaganda being spread through social media for psychological conflicts.

The defence ministry has approved the plan amid increased circulation of fake news about the military establishment.

The decision comes amid propaganda being peddled on social media by Pakistan revolving around the Indian Air Force airstrike on a terror camp in Balakot. Subsequently several videos and fake news regarding Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who was captured by Pakistan army have done the rounds on social media.

"In keeping with the needs of future battlefield, hybrid warfare and social media reality, the new branch will be under the Directorate General Information Warfare," an official from MoD said.

The branch will be headed by a Lieutenant General rank officer.

The existing branches dealing with public information and information warfare work separately and is headed by Major General rank officers. "The idea is to have a robust mechanism under one head to make information warfare more effective," an official said.

The public information wing in the current set up has a small social media cell but is likely to change as the new mechanism will be put in place.

The cyber unit that functions separately as of now will also be put under the information warfare branch.

The decision has been taken after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman cleared one of the four studies conducted by the army to bring in reforms and make the force more efficient.

The strategy on information warfare was also part of one of the studies on reorganisation of Army Headquarters.