Chandigarh: Apart from felicitating three active journalists of Haryana above the age of 60, three other journalists will also be honoured with special awards for their excellent services in the field of journalism in a programme to be organised by the Media Wellbeing Association in Panchkula on July 31 this year. President of Media Wellbeing Association Chandrashekhar Dharni told that in each of its programmes organised at different places, MWB specially felicitates three journalists above 60 years of age in Haryana in every programme. This time, active journalists of 60 years of age Suman Bhatnagar, Surendra Bhatia, Satnam Singh will receive the special honour.
   Dharani said that apart from this, three journalists of Haryana are also given special honour in every programme for their services in journalism, in which 3 awards for journalists are Amar Shaheed Lala Jagat Narayan Award, Patrakarita Ratna Award and Patrakarita Alankar Award for excellent and best services. Chandrashekhar Dharani said that identity cards will also be issued to the active members of the organization in the programme to be held on 31st July by the Media Wellbeing Association.Â
Dharani said that Haryana Assembly Speaker Gyan Chand Gupta will be the chief guest in this programme to be held in Panchkula. The programme will be presided over by Haryana Agriculture Minister Kanwar Pal Gurjar, while PWD Minister Dr. Banwari Lal and Social Welfare Minister Bishambar Balmiki will be present as special guests. Apart from these, Chief Minister’s Publicity Advisor Tarun Bhandari and Chief Minister’s Media Secretary Praveen Atre will be present among the honoured guests. Apart from this, Jyoti Singh will be the chairman of the welcome committee.Â
Dharani placed demands before the government
The organization’s president Chandrashekhar Dharni said that earlier also in the memorandums given several times, there were demands for immediate implementation of cashless health facility for the media and their families, to make the headquarters of Media Wellbeing Association (regd) in Panchkula, to provide 500 yards (one canal) of land at a cheap rate to build a building on the lines of Press Club Chandigarh, to provide residential facility to journalists at cheap rates. He said that like the three pillars of democracy, toll free facility should also be provided to the fourth pillar media. Free medical facility for media should be provided in entire Haryana. Along with simplifying the system of granting recognition in the rules made by the Haryana government for digital media, amendments should be made on the lines of neighboring state Punjab and other states. Any web media, even if its headquarters is outside Haryana, should also be granted recognition. Haryana Press Recognition Committee and Press Relation Committee should be reconstituted and two members each from Media Wellbeing Association should be included in it. The accreditation system of monthly magazines and newspapers which was stopped should be strengthened and restarted. Through this demand letter, Dharni, while describing the financial condition of the media world as weak, demanded to consider giving honorarium of 10 thousand rupees per month to support journalists active for more than 15 years and their families in all districts, to simplify the accreditation policy of web/digital and to make a provision for giving recognition like print media to those whose headquarters are outside Haryana in Jalandhar, Noida, Delhi or anywhere else.
These journalists will get respect
MWB’s general secretary Dr. Surendra Mehta said that MWB is the first such journalist organization of Haryana, which has started the task of honoring Haryana’s journalists above 60 years of age since last three years. In the program of 31st July, senior journalists above 60 years of age Suman Bhatnagar (Ambala), Surendra Bhatia (Panchkula), Satnam Singh (Shahbad Markanda) will be honored on 31st July. Apart from this, Dr. Nikki Dabas, President of Nutrition and Natural Health Science Association will also be honored for her notable contribution in the field of social service.Â
These members were included in the Board of Trustees
MWB’s general secretary Dr. Surendra Mehta said that MWB’s Board of Patrons has also been constituted, in which SP Rawat (Kurukshetra) will be the chairman. Ranjeet Gupta (Shahbad Markanda), Naveen Malhotra (Kaithal), Devendra Uppal (Hisar), RR Shaili (Karnal), Dr. Pramod Kaushik (Kurukshetra), Jagdish Tyagi (Sonepat), Amrish (Panipat), Satyanarayan Gupta (Panchkula), Kapil Chadha (Panchkula) have been included in the Board of Patrons. Kapil Chadha (Panchkula), Dr. Jagdish Ahuja (Panipat) have also been included in it while expanding the Board.Â
Free eye medical camp will be organized for journalists
Surendra Mehta said that during this time, Adesh Medical College will also organize a free eye camp for journalists. Regarding this, a discussion has already taken place between the college chancellor Dr. HS Gill and the office bearers of the association.Â
These 3 journalists will get the award
Deepak Miglani, Chairman of the Award Committee of Media Wellbeing Association, said that the Amar Shaheed Lala Jagat Narayan Award for the year 2023-24 will be given to Nitin Walia, Editor of Haryana Vatika, Bhiwani. Apart from these, Satish Bhardwaj, Editor of Panipat Today will be awarded the Patrakarita Ratna Award and Pawan Sharma of Kalanwali will be awarded the Patrakarita Alankar Award.
