Press Council of India institutes awards

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 7 July 2012

The Press Council of India has instituted the National Awards for Excellence in Journalism across multiple categories. The top Raja Rammohan Roy award carries Rs 1 lakh, while other categories offer Rs 50,000 each. The awards will be presented annually on National Press Day.

Summary

NEW DELHI: The Press Council of India, whose Chairperson Markandey Katju has been critical of journalists by and large, has now instituted its own 'National Awards for Excellence in Journalism'. Among the categories under which the Press Council has instituted the awards are Raja Rammohan Roy National Award for Excellence in Journalism which would carry a cash component of Rs one lakh.

Other awards instituted by the council relate to Rural Journalism, Developmental Reporting and 'Stree Shakti'which have a cash component of Rs 50,000 each. "This will be the first time that PCI will be giving such awards. Its aim is to honor those journalists who have done outstanding work in the field of journalism," Press Council chief Markandey Katju told PTI.

"Journalism is a noble vocation but unfortunately its importance has not been adequately understood by society. Without great journalists, people will not get the information they require to form rational opinions, which is a sine qua non for a democracy,"he added.

Katju also said India has produced great journalists like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Nikhil Chakraborty, Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, and in more recent times P Sainath. "By honoring and awarding outstanding journalists of today, we will give great encouragement to all journalists to improve and serve the society," Katju said.

Katju has in the past attacked journalists saying a majority of them were of a low intellectual level. The Press Council-instituted awards would be presented every year on the occasion of National Press Day, the Press Council said. - PTI

KEY POINTS:

• PCI institutes National Awards for Excellence in Journalism for the first time
• Raja Rammohan Roy National Award carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh
• Rural Journalism, Developmental Reporting and Stree Shakti awards carry Rs 50,000 each
• Chairperson Markandey Katju said the awards aim to encourage outstanding journalism
• Awards will be presented every year on National Press Day