Nitish Kumar-led Bihar Government Celebrates National Press Day with Initiatives to Empower Journalists

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Bihar Government has taken several concrete steps to protect the interests of journalists in the state. This has been informed by the Information and Public Relations minister of the state Maheshwar Hazari on the National Press Day.

A workshop was organized under the chairmanship of Hon'ble Minister Maheshwar Hazari on the occasion of 'National Press Day' at the Department of Information and Public Relations, Bihar, Patna. On this occasion, the Hon'ble Minister extended his heartfelt wishes of National Press Day to all the media fraternity. Addressing the workshop, he said that India's democracy is incomplete without its fourth pillar i.e. press and media. National Press Day is not just a festival, but an occasion when we respect the freedom, responsibility and power of the press. Digital media has made information reach people in the blink of an eye, but it also raises doubts about the quality and veracity of the information.

The Hon'ble Minister further said that Bihar has a rich history of journalism. This land has been the karma bhoomi of journalists and editors who played a leading role in the freedom struggle. Our journalists of Bihar have always given prominence to the voice of the weaker sections of society and have discharged their duties with integrity. On this occasion, the Hon'ble Minister also discussed the role and achievements of the State Government in empowering the media. He informed that the Bihar Government has taken several concrete steps to protect the interests of journalists in the state. Keeping in mind the safety of journalists, the Patrakar Kalyan Yojana has been started, so that journalists and their families can get social and economic security. Apart from this, seeing the spread of digital media in the state, the Bihar Government has established excellent institutes for journalism and media studies in many districts, where the youth are learning the latest skills of journalism. He said that to strengthen journalism in rural and urban areas, information is being disseminated on a large scale through the Department of Information and Public Relations.

The media has done a very successful job of taking government policies, schemes and achievements to the remote villages of Bihar. For this, the state has increased the use of local language and digital mediums so that accurate and effective information can reach every section. In the field of education also, the efforts of the Bihar government have been taken to the people by the media, due to which awareness towards education has increased in the state. Media has played an important role in the success of ambitious schemes of the government, such as 'Saat Nischay' and projects like 'Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal', 'Pucca Sadak'. Journalists have taken these schemes to the public, which maintained transparency and made people aware. In this workshop, representatives from various media groups also gave statements on the changing nature of the press and new challenges.

All the media persons present were felicitated by the Hon'ble Minister of Information and Public Relations Department. In the workshop, the dignity and rich tradition of the Indian press was highlighted by Shri Sanjay Krishna, Additional Secretary, Information and Public Relations Department, Bihar, in his welcome speech. He said that the press should try to eliminate misleading news and avoid half-truths. On this occasion, Shri Vidhu Bhushan Chaudhary, Joint Secretary, Shri Ravi Bhushan Sahay, Joint Director, Mrs. Neena Jha, Deputy Director and other officers and employees of the Information and Public Relations Department were present.