IMPHAL, November 16: Group Editor of Imphal Free Press, Pradip Phanjoubam was honoured with Manipur State Journalist Award 2012 for best editor award on national integrations and communal harmony’ at National Press Day 2012 function held at Manipur Press Club today organised by the Department of Information and Public Relation, Manipur.
He was given the award for his excellence in his editorial on ‘national integrations and communal harmony’ during the period of January to December, 2011.
The today’s function was attended by Parliamentary Secretary, Information and Public Relation, Manipur, K Meghachandra, AMWJU president, A Mobi and Commissioner, Information and Public Relation, L Lakher as chief guest, guest of honour and president respectively.
Other award winners include, Aruna Sapam of Sangai Express for her news item on “women and child”, Angom Ranjit of Poknapham for his news item about “science and technology,” P Bishwakanta of Poknapham for “rural reporting”, K Vedajit Sharma of Ereibak for “public Health and Hygiene”, N Krishnamohan of Sanaleibak for “Parliamentary Reporting” and Rishikesh of Huiyen Lanpao for “sports reporting.”
All the awardees were presented with a citation, a shawl and a cash award of rupees 25 thousand each.
Speaking at the function, K Meghachandra, who attended as the chief guest, informed that the new office building of DIPR at Keishampat, which is under construction, will be completed by January, 2013.
He also assured that the vacant posts for district officers and staffs will be fill in soon after a consultation with the Chief Minister. He also added that the department’s equipments like camera, video camera, computer etc would be upgraded soon.
He further continued that November 16 is being observed as the National Press Day every year, the day Press Council of Indian was established in the year 1966 for the first time.
Observing the day marks the freedom and responsibility of a press in a democratic country. In 1956 the press commission constituted a press council and recommended to maintain the journalist professional ethics, he said.
In a democratic country like India the role of media is very big and in a state like Manipur where various communities with different religions co-exist, the role of media is even bigger, he said.
In the later part of the function, a workshop on the topic “freedom of media” was conducted, where Dr A Ibomcha Sharma, IIS, news editor and head of regional news unit and Y Rupachandra, special correspondent, Seven Sister Post presented papers.