SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said on Friday that constructive criticism by the media strengthens democracy and gives the government the opportunity to rectify the shortcomings.
Sangma, who was speaking at the platinum jubilee of The Shillong Times at U Soso Tham auditorium, advocated for a vigilant press, saying, “The mistakes and the shortcomings once highlighted can be rectified.”
DoNER Minister Jitendra Singh, who was also present at the function, said a newspaper has to be the signature of its times that could be used “as reference centuries later and a stage comes when it does not make much of a difference whether it was published from Shillong or Delhi”.
“Newspaper and those in the newspaper industry have opportunities to go down in history. Ultimately it is up to them to ensure their own growth, but what is more important is clarity about oneself and that it applies to journalists as well,” the minister added.
Shillong Times kicked off its yearlong platinum jubilee celebrations here on Friday with a green mission.
The celebrations were focused on the various environmental issues and pledged to find a tangible solution to the existing problems. Several dignitaries and prominent citizens attended the function and pledged to keep the city clean and green.
On the youths of the region, the Union minister said the new generation is witnessing the best times in the journey of India and news media like The Shillong Times is there “as a supplementation to their endeavors”.
Acknowledging the uniqueness of the northeastern region, Singh said there is more to learn from the region.
In the last five years, the North East has come more into focus and that has been possible because the government is actually moving in that direction, he added.
Singh said one of the major achievements of the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the last five years has been that students from the North East have been provided the facility for cost-effective living through hostels and other means in different parts of the country.
He informed that a Northeast Hostel for Girl Students has been completed within the campus of Bangalore University.
Similarly, he said, an exclusive Northeast Hostel is under construction within the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where a very large number of youth are pursuing higher studies.
A similar will come up at Rohini for Northeast students studying in Delhi University, he added.
Patricia Mukhim, the editor of the newspaper, highlighted the changing face of the media and the tasks ahead for the print media in digital era.
She spoke about the struggles that the newspaper had to undergo over the years and how it stood by the truth.
Manas Chaudhuri, the managing director of The Shillong Times, said the newspaper had always stood by the people of the state and “it promises to do so in the future”.
On environment, Chaudhuri said citizens should take the responsibility of cleaning the city instead of depending on the government.
He added that The Shillong Times would play the role of a motivator.
Talking about the past glory of the newspaper, Chaudhuri said eminent leaders like Capt William Sangma and BB Lyngdoh had also contributed to the newspaper.
Environmentalist Afroz Shah expressed most of his views through a short film and urged all stakeholders to join hands in making the hill city clean and green.
