Shillong, 16th Nov 2024: Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, today, attended National Press Day, organised by Shillong Press Club in collaboration with the Department of Information & Public Relations and Meghalaya Editors and Publishers Association at State Convention Centre, Shillong.
Speaking during the occasion, Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, said that while the National Press Day is being celebrated it is important for everybody and not only the journalists and the members of the press fraternity to look back and reflect on if the goals have been met and what contribution has been made. “For the press it is very critical to maintain a balance between freedom and responsibility and these can be your guide to achieve the targets and objectives that you have set for yourself,” he said.
Speaking on the ‘Changing Nature of the Press’ that was also the theme of the National Press Day celebrations, the Chief Minister, he said that there is a very thin line of difference between news and information. “We are at a particular crossroad where the line of difference between news, information and updates is not clearly drawn and the readers and public at large is not able to judge what is actually a news or otherwise and the media and the professionals have to ensure that this differentiation is clearly defined and this is the challenge that we are facing and this is also then changing nature of the press,” he said. He added that the government looks forward to working with the press and the media to create the necessary policies, laws and regulations while maintaining the delicate balance between regulation and the freedom of the press while providing news and information to the public.
The Chief Minister also stressed on the need to have capacity building programs and training for journalists, “Like in every other profession journalists also need to be given training and exposure to keep up with changing and evolving trends in press and journalism and it is on these lines the government has organised inter district exposure trips for some journalists so that they can see first hand activities happening at the grass roots and we hope to expand this program to the national and even international exposure trips,”
He also announced that certain schemes of the state that were supporting journalists are being enhanced. “We are enhancing the support given to the family of deceased journalists from 1 lakh to 5 lakhs, for journalists who suffer from permanent disability we are increasing the amount from 50 thousand to 3 lakhs and the amount of 50 thousand support given to journalists in case of extreme hardship due to illness is now being increased to 3 lakhs,” he informed. He also said that a committee consisting of members from the government and the press fraternity will be formed by the government and this committee will facilitate the coordination between the press and the government. “This committee will be having a corpus of 35 lakhs so that apart from the medical assistance or any kind of difficult situation that journalists may face that require assistance this committee will be completely empowered to independently decide on the utilisation of the funds for the welfare purposes of the press fraternity,” he said.
In conclusion the Chief Minister on the ocassion urged the members of the press fraternity to move ahead with a sense of purpose adhering to the basic principles of truth and trust. “No matter how the dynamics of a sector might change the principles and values of trust and truth will not change and we if we stick to these principles we will be on the right track,” he said.
Earlier, Guest of Honour, Commissioner & Secretary, Vijay Mantri, gave a brief overview the genesis, history and significance of Press Council of India and National Press Day. Lauding the efforts of the SPC in taking the initiative for the celebration of the National Press Day he said, “I have seen high journalistic standards and ethics in Meghalaya in comparison to many other states,” he remarked. He elaborated on the changing nature of the press and the need to adapt and regulate and keep up with the changing trends.
Also present were, Director, I&PR, Malthus Sangma, Presidents of SPC and MEPA and office bearers of SPA.