Media plays a critical and positive role in highlighting government policies and changing people’s lives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday and remembered its contributions in popularising initiatives such as “Swachh Bharat Mission” and “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” scheme, which were beyond the political domain.
Hailing the role played by the media in popularising government initiatives as well as fitness activities such as yoga, the PM suggested that lesser-known events of freedom struggle and unsung freedom fighters could also be highlighted by the fourth estate.
“For any nation to develop, making good policies is one aspect. But, to enable the policies to succeed and ensure that large scale transformation takes place, active participation from all walks of society is needed. For that, the media plays a critical role. In these years gone by, I have seen the positive impact the media can play,” the PM said, while inaugurating online the centenary celebrations of leading Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi.
“In the same way, every town or village has places associated with the freedom movement. Not much is known about them. We can highlight those places and encourage people to visit them,” he said.
Among other suggestions he made included encouraging upcoming writers from non-media backgrounds. “Can we encourage the upcoming writers from non-media backgrounds and give them a platform to showcase their writing skills? One of India’s biggest strengths is our diversity. Can we think about making key words of other languages popular through your media properties?” he said.
He also spoke about how the country overcame the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis that followed.
He said when the pandemic reached Indian shores, there was speculation that India would not be able to handle it.
“The people of India proved these critics wrong. We used the last two years to improve the health of our society and the health of our economy. For two years, 80 crore people got access to free ration. 180 crore doses of vaccines have been administered.
“In a time when many nations are unable to overcome vaccine hesitancy, Indians have shown the way. Powered by India’s talented youth, our nation is moving towards atma nirbharta (self-reliance). At the core of this principle is to make India an economic powerhouse that caters to domestic and global needs,” the PM said.
Reforms, like production-linked incentive schemes, were brought in to boost economic progress and as a result the start-up ecosystem of the country is “more vibrant” and India is leading the world in technological advancement, he said.
Besides, Rs 110 lakh crore was being spent on National Infrastructure Pipeline, PM Gatishakti was going to make infrastructure creation and governance more seamless and the government was working to ensure every village of India has high-speed Internet connectivity, he further said.
“The guiding principle of our efforts is to ensure the future generations lead a better lifestyle than the present ones,” he added.
Modi further said that the way UPI transactions have increased by over 70 times in the last four years indicates the “eagerness of our people to embrace positive changes”.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also joined the programme, which was attended by dignitaries, including Union Minister V Muraleedharan and state Tourism Minister PA Muhammed Riyas.
Vijayan said Mathrubhumi’s commitment to the freedom struggle was well-known.
“Even after Independence, Mathrubhumi upheld the principles of socialism and democracy. Mathrubhumi was in the forefront to strengthen the values of renaissance in the state. The institution stood with the fight against untouchability,” he said.
Union Minister Muraleedharn also spoke at the event where he said that the popularity of Mathrubhumi even in the advent of social media was because of its commitment towards journalism.