By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 4 Mar: Journalists Union of Uttarakhand felicitated State Information Commissioner and former journalist Yogesh Bhatt here today. On this occasion, Director General Information Banshidhar Tiwari was the chief guest, while senior journalist Arun Pratap Singh and President of Uttarakhand Press Club, Ajay Rana were the Guests of Honour. Speaking on the occasion, DG Information Banshidhar Tiwari said that journalists have played an important role as the fourth pillar of democracy. He said that journalism should be as clear as a mirror so that the society can get a new direction.
Speaking as the Chief Guest he claimed said that the government is fully aware of the interests of journalists and assured the gathering that he would take positive action on the demands of the union. He said that he is always ready to solve the problems of journalists.
Information Commissioner Yogesh Bhatt was felicitated on this occasion. Speaking at his felicitation ceremony, Bhatt said that it is a fact that in present times, the credibility of the media has fallen in public opinion. He called upon the media fraternity to work sincerely in the greater public interest and avoid indulging in activities that can dent the image of journalists.
Bhatt further called upon the journalists to stay pro-people and not become anti or pro government.
Guest of Honour and former President of the Union, Arun Pratap Singh called upon the journalists to work sincerely towards improving their credibility. He said that with the advent of technology, same news item was being copy pasted and made viral by a number of journalist without adding any value to it. He added that journalists also should focus not just on politics but also on various social issues concerning the society.
Guest of Honour and Uttarachal Press Club President Ajay Rana said that the nature of media has changed today, journalism is no longer a mission. Small newspapers have been greatly affected by the arrival of big media houses. A large number of small and medium newspapers have either closed down or are on verge of closure.
Senior journalist Manmohan Lakhera called upon the government to preserve and save newspapers and publications which had started publication several decades ago but were now struggling for want of funds. He said that even after 23 years of formation of the state, the journalists of the state have to face basic problems and the policies towards protecting the interests of journalists and ensuring their welfare were still missing.
Union’s state General Secretary Girish Pant said that many problems of journalists are still pending resolution though the union had been bringing those issues to the notice of the government and the officers concerned. He also called for a common facility for medical treatment of all journalists and not just the accreditated ones.
Union’s State President Umashankar Praveen Mehta said that Journalist Union is a big organisation of journalists in the state. The union is continuously working for the interests and rights of journalists. Devbhoomi Uttarakhand Union General Secretary BD Sharma, environmentalist Jagdish Babla, Adhir Mukerjee and Guest of Honour Lalit Joshi also addressed the gathering. On this occasion, a souvenir published by the district unit of the union was also launched by the guests who were also honoured with mementos and shawls.
The programme was conducted by senior journalist Sanjeev Sharma and district president of the union, Shah Nazar. Veteran journalist SP Uniyal, Union District General Secretary Moolchand Sheershwal, Vijay Sharma, Lalita Baluni, Jyoti Bhatt Dhyani, Abhinav Nayak, Chetram Bhatt, Girish Tiwari, Mahesh Kumar, Viresh Rohila, Devendra Prasad Chamoli, Rajendra Verma, Pritam Verma, Sanjay Agarwal were present in the conference apart from Javed Hussain, Gyanendra Dhiman, Aarti Verma, Sanjay Rathore, Pawan Singhal, Rajneesh Saini, Deepak Gupta, Naveen Badhani, Mukesh Singhal, Kawar Singh Siddu, Mahendra Tomar, Surendra Kothiyal, Kishan Singh Gusai, Sameena, Pol Khol Bahuguna, Hrithik Agarwal. A large number of journalists were present including Zahid Ali, Arun Khatri, Sanjay Rathod, Brijesh Gurung and Dr Jamshed Usmani.
