Mangaluru: “The fruits of independence should not be limited to only some areas but it should be extended to all the states, Nagaland Governor P B Acharya said.
He was addressing a gathering at the district level journalists’ conference organised by the Dakshina Kannada District Working Journalists Association (DKDWJA) in Town Hall on Monday, July 1. Acharya said, “Though every state needs to be developed in our country, the northeastern states like Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Tripura are deprived of various benefits. Though these states have high potential with their natural resources, they have not been utilised properly.”
Lamenting over the scarcity of educational institutions and universities in the northeast, Acharya said, “A city like Mangaluru has six medical colleges. However, the whole Nagaland state has only one medical college. It is enough to reveal the status of the northeastern states of our country. Universities should set up colleges in northeastern states, thereby help the residents into the mainstream. Media should highly focus on this issue and contribute its bit to the development of the northeastern countries.”
He also asked elected representatives, entrepreneurs, educationists among others to adopt students from poor financial background and underdeveloped areas. “If such contributions are made by all, India will become one of the powerful nations in the world”, he opined.
Dakshina Kannada District In-charge Minister U T Khader said media is the fourth pillar of the Democracy. “Journalists should highlight the mistakes of the administration when it goes against the interest of the people. Meanwhile, it is very essential that media follows the ethics while executing its duty. Before pointing out the mistakes of others, one should rectify their own. Then only a strong nation can be built”, Khader added.
Mangaluru South MLA D Vedavyas Kamath, Mangaluru North MLA Dr. Y Bharath Shetty, working journalists’ state president Shivananda Thagadoor also highlighted the importance of media in the present world. Senior journalist Ishwar Daithota presided over the conference. DKDWJA President Srinivas Nayak Indaje delivered the introductory speech and shed light on the intention and future programmes of the association.
Conference Reception Committee Convener Jagannath Shetty Bala welcomed the gathering and association general secretary Ibrahim Adkastala proposed a vote of thanks. Senior journalist Manohar Prasad compered the programme. Later, various sessions were held wherein different resources persons spoke on different topics.
