Sheekha Bureau
Port Blair, Nov16: The Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lt. General AK Singh (Retd) today urged media persons to practice balanced and factual reporting. He said balance is crucial for a healthy society and the local media should refrain from pushing personal agenda through the media
Addressing the National Press Day celebration at Megapode Nest Resort here this afternoon the Lt. Governor said that cartoons and caricatures are a strong medium to express opinions but the medium should be used to convey issues not personalities. Journalism is a difficult vocation but crucial for a democracy that depends in an informed citizenry. As such, the local media should focus on objective and factual reporting to present the true picture of the government to the masses, he said.
The Lt. Governor also announced a series of welfare schemes on the occasion. Instructions were issued to the Secretary, Information and Publicity to constitute Committee in consultation with the Member of Parliament, members from the local media to review the provisions of the Press Correspondents Rules 1996 in the context of these islands for granting Accreditation to Working Journalists of these islands and dead-line of Jan 10, 2016 was set for the purpose. The Lt. Governor announced resumption of the exposure tours to mainland for the local media. Media trips to inter-islands will be conducted every month from December this year and the Administration will make all necessary for the tours, the LG announced.
The Lt. Governor also announced 25% concession to local journalists in all Andaman and Nicobar Bhawans and APWD-run Guest Houses in these islands. The Secretary, Information and Publicity, was made the official Spokesperson of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration, besides announcing resumption of monthly media briefings by various Departments of the Administration. The Lt. Governor declared that the advertisement rates of the administration will be revised based on the inflation index immediately after March 2016 and announced a scheme for distribution of free Laptops to all newspapers and magazines of these islands to be implemented in a phased manner in the next two years.
National Press Day marks the constitution of the Press Club of India as a moral watch dog to ensure that media houses are not fettered by external influences as also to maintain high standards of the medium. The media has the right to express its opinion in public interest but pushing personal agenda is a dangerous trend. The true essence of the media is balanced, objective and factual reporting as it helps develop a healthy society, noted the Lt. Governor.
The Member of Parliament, Mr Bishnu Pada Ray, Chief Secretary, Mr Anand Prakash, Director General of Police, Mr Rajesh Malik, Secretary to LG, Mr SN Mishra and several senior bureaucrats of the administration participated in the celebration.
The Member of Parliament, Mr Bishnu Pada Ray urged the Administration to formulate welfare schemes for the local journalists particularly Accreditation of Working Journalists, quarterly media tours to different islands in the archipelago, check on mainland-based newspapers which venture into the islands for the sake of DAVP advertisements. The Chief Secretary, Mr Anand Prakash also spoke on the occasion.
Earlier, the Director of Information and Publicity, Mr MN Murali welcomed the gathering. The Hindi Translator, Mr Jai Nair proposed the vote of thanks.
An interaction session was held from 11.20 am in which journalists, Mr NKP Nair of Dweepon Ki Awaz, Mr AR Biswas of News Spot Light, Ms Tabassum Nisha of The Andaman Express, Mr Karaikalavan, Andaman Murasu, Ms Mary Pee, The Daily Telegrams, Mr SP Ellango, Aspect, Mr Sanjib Kumar Roy of Andaman Sheekha and Mr Denis Giles of Andaman Chronicle presented their views on the theme of the celebration ‘Impact and import of Cartooning and Caricature as a Medium of Expression of Opinion’.
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