Noted journalist Arnab Goswami Sunday said that it is important for legislators to put people first in their agenda. “We are all here because of the people. People should come first whether it is in politics or media,” said Goswami while addressing legislators on the topic: “Legislators and Relationship with Media” during the third phase of Sabal Bidhayak, a series of orientation programmes initiated by the Assam Assembly. The series that will continue on select days until January 2017 next year have been designed and coordinated by Guwahati based think-tank Centre for Development and Peace Studies.
Describing the quality of journalism Goswami said that Indian journalism is stronger than journalism elsewhere because the media here can question everything including religion, something not practiced by the western media. At the same time, Indian media is independent and secular- it can cover issues for instance as to why a woman cannot enter a place of worship. While in UK the media is very structured, in India it is not. Stating that his channel Times Now has broken six major scams so far and each case has been followed by the judiciary, he said that the media in India has kept the judiciary on its toes. Media in India has come a long way. Today’s media is an unusual media. It is confrontational unlike media in earlier days which had information but little impact.
“Politics is about taking responsibilities. Development follows when the media behaves responsibly and politicians too work responsibly,” he said. Terming the New Media as an Activist Media or Campaign driven Media, he said that today’s media followups news until there is response from the concerned quarters. He said that today journalists are no longer disseminators of information only, they have become activists. Media is a reflection of the changing country. Legislatures should open up new relations with the media and both should think about how they can work together and not how they can fight, he added.
Veteran politician and former minister Abdul Muhib Majumder highlighted the participants on procedural devices available to members to raise matters of urgent public importance on the floor of the house. Former Assam Chief Minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta also addressed the participants and spoke on Parliamentary etiquette, ethics, customs and conventions. He said that if legislators follow the rules and procedures of the Assembly, it will be beneficial both for them and the public.
Phani Bhushan Choudhry, who has been representing his constituency for the seventh consecutive term, threw light on general rules of procedures of the Assembly – questions, legislations and resolutions. He said that it is very important for a legislator to know how to put a question in the Assembly, which question is to be given priority and how to frame a question. According to him, the question must be focused and proposals should be such that it includes the problems and issues important for the stateas a whole apart from then problems of a particular constituency.
Speaking on the occasion Director, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Guwahati, Gautam Barua said that new and relevant courses should be introduced in the ITIs along with vocational courses for students who cannot pass tenth standard. State Minister for Water Resources Department, Science and Technology, Information Technology, Keshab Mahanta sensitized the legislators on the relationship between legislators and media and said that for legislators media is the medium to reach the masses. Senior journalist Samudra Gupta Kashyap stated that media and politics are inseparably related and while media plays the role of a watch dog, it also has its own responsibilities.
Vice Chairman of the State Planning Board Dipok Kumar Barthakur speaking on “Skilling and Regenerating Assam,” said that courses must be developed with an eye on the employability sectors of the region. He was of the opinion that a Skills University is necessary in the region to boost employment. In the programme that followed the Centre for Development and Peace Studies Executive Director Wasbir Hussain presented an overview of skill development initiatives in Assam. Intense interactions between the legislators and resource persons marked the sessions.
Schools, colleges and other establishments across the state wore a fresh look because of Saraswati puja on Friday. From early in the morning, a large number of people offered pujas dedicated to the goddess of learning. Saraswai Puja, which is paying homage to the goddess of education, is among the most-awaited festivals for teens. The deity of art, wisdom and culture is worshipped on this day by students across the state and beyond. From schools to households, people were busy appeasing the Goddess of knowledge, who is considered by the Hindus as the daughter of Goddess Durga.Goddess Saraswati is worshipped in various parts of the country various ways and in different times. 'Basant...
Counting of votes of the three-phase panchayat elections in Goalpara district was postponed for Friday with the entire exercise now to be completed within one day.The indefinite curfew continued in Krishnai and Mornoi areas. The movement of people by river and other water-bodies in the district between 3 pm to 7 am was banned by the district administration till further orders to prevent movement of miscreants.
A car and two trucks were damaged during the BTAD bandh that paralyzes Bagsa district on Thursday.The bandh enforcers stopped movement of all vehicles in the area, threatening to destroy them.The bandh, supported by the Rabha Hasong Students Union, was called to protest against the alleged killing of people of the Rabha Hasong ethnic community in police firing and clashes in Goalpara district during the panchayat elections on February 12.Markets, shops, offices, banks, educational institutions remained closed and vehicles kept off the roads in the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts comprising Kokrajhar, Udalguri, Baksa and Chirang districts.
The sporadic incidents of violence that cripples Goalpara and Kamrup rural district are spreading to BTAD areas. A Congress party office and three trucks were on Thursday set ablaze in Udalguri district and vehicles damaged in Baksa district forcing police to open fire in the air to disperse persons using force to impose the bandh in the area.During the 12-hour BTAD bandh, called by the Rabha Hasong Joint Action Committee, unidentified persons poured kerosene on the Congress office, Rajib Bhavan, at Tangla in Udalguri district and set fire to its wooden doors and windows.The police fired in the air at Kalaigaon to disperse a group of persons using violent means to impose the bandh by...
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday ordered a thorough judicial probe into the poll related incidents in Goalpara. The judicial panel will find out if the protests against the elections were instigated. Talking to reporters in Guwahati on Wednesday, he said that violence took place in 22 places. He further owned up full responsibility for the violence.He defended the elections and criticised the Opposition for blaming the government and not those who were disrupting the elections. The government has announced a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh for the families of those killed in the police firing.
The death toll in the poll violence in Goalpara district has gone up to 19 with three more people were killed in police firing on Wednesday.Thirteen people have died in police firing and six in clashes between the Rabha Hajong tribe, which is opposing the ongoing panchayat or local elections, and members of other communities. The police said that they had to take resort to firing to disperse the an irate mob of Rabha Hajong people who burnt down villages and attacked government officials. They wanted autonomy in this part of the state and rejects government control. It believes that panchayats or village councils will undermine its own council's authority.Eight columns of the Army,...
In an exercise that is bound to embitter the Assam-Nagaland relationship, a section of local organizations have allege that the neighbouring state has allegedly set up two polling stations along the interstate border in Golaghat and Sivasagar districts. The district administration of Golaghat on Tuesday sent an objection to Nagaland to withdraw the same. Golaghat district administration has conducted a magistrate level inquiry into the allegations and finally sent an objection to the deputy commissioner of Wokha to withdraw their polling booths. On the other hand, Wokha district administration tried to set up a polling booth at Merapani Town Lower Primary School in Golaghat district. But...
At least fifteen people were killed on Tuesday when security forces clashed with a group of protesters who tried to stoop panchayat polling in the Rabha Hasong Council area in Goalpara district. Details awaited.
The third and final phase of panchayat polls are over to be marred by a string of sporadic incidents of violence on Tuesday.Polling began at 7 in the morning to be closed in the afternoon where huge turn out was registered in Dhubri, Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi, Barpeta, Nalbari.Incidents of arson erupted in the Rabha hasong council areas in parts of Goalpara and Kamrup rural districts,Voters in these areas had to confined to their homes because of the 36 hour long public curfew. Several houses along with poanchayat offices and polling booths were set ablez. Poll candidates were attacked and even a section of polling officials were not spared.
A 36 hour long public curfew hits normal life for the second day on Tuesday as Joint Action Committee has called a 'janata curfew' from 7 am till 7 pm on Tuesday opposing the hustings. People remained indoors, shops and markets kept their shutters down, offices, educational institutions and banks were closed, while vehicles went off the roads.
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