Kishtwar: Press Information Bureau, Jammu under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, organised a Rural Media Workshop “Vartalap” in District Kishtwar on Friday on the theme of 11 years of governance.
The workshop highlighted the achievements of the government during the period.
Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar, Pankaj Kumar Sharma; Director Press Information Bureau Jammu, Neha Jalali, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Pawan Kotwal; and other senior officers of the district administration were present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Deputy Commissioner emphasized the importance of coordination with the media for highlighting the initiatives and other public welfare programs of the government. He added that the media is an important pillar of democracy which brings to the notice of the administration any shortcomings in the implementation of the government schemes and assessment of work done at the ground level.
Director Press Information Bureau Jammu touched upon misinformation, disinformation and propaganda and urged the media to counter these malpractices. She said that fake news is the main concern in today’s world, and the media has an important role to provide the public with truthful and credible information. The director spoke in detail about the fact-checking mechanism run by PIB, and requested the media persons to use the service to bust fake news.
Additional Deputy Commissioner in his address highlighted the role of PIB in disseminating information to the print and electronic media on government policies, programs and achievements. Additionally, he underscored the significance of media in generating awareness about various Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), including public debates, discussions and ushering accountability in bureaucracy. He added that the government has introduced an electronic file system (e-office) for greater transparency, and steps are being taken to take it to the block level.
Other senior officers of the district administration also spoke on the occasion. Chief Education Officer Kishtwar, Masood Hussain Qazi, presented the salient features of the National Education Policy 2020. He said the department is focused on the inculcation of moral values in children and imparting vocational training to the youth in line with the roadmap laid down in the policy.
Chief Agriculture Officer Kishtwar, Koushal Chandel highlighted the initiatives taken for enhancing food security, water harvesting, organic farming and empowering marginal farmers. He said that drone technology is being harnessed, and real-time monitoring and geotagging of agricultural land is also undertaken for better management and monitoring of agricultural initiatives.
Horticulture Development Officer Kishtwar, Raja Aadil Sheikh; Field Officer, Khadi and Village Industries Board, Shah Mohammad; District Information Officer, Kuldeep Kumar, also addressed the gathering. Media and Communication Officer, PIB Jammu, Muzafar Wani, spoke on the role of media in responsible journalism with evolving technology. The proceedings of the program were conducted by the Media and Communication Officer, PIB Jammu, Zakir Nazeer.
Over 50 district media persons participated in the workshop. Vartalap is a medium to set up a bridge between the government and media in order to reach out to the people at the grassroots. The media fraternity appreciated and thanked PIB for organising the workshop in the remote area of the Jammu division. On the demand by media persons for a Press Club in Kishtwar, the Deputy Commissioner assured that the matter will be taken in the best possible way.
During the media interaction, the journalists brought to the notice of the district administration the difficulties being faced by them. The district administration offered suggestions for better coordination between the media and the government for sharing information in a seamless manner.
