Our Correspondent
Kohima, April 6 (EMN): Nagaland Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board (NBCWWB) on Wednesday signed a media partner agreement (MPA) with the Kohima Press Club (KPC) and the department of Information and Publicity Relations (IPR) involving financial grants to promote social issues and media persons.
With the signing of the agreement here at Hotel Vivor in Kohima, the welfare board would make a one-time full payment of INR 5 lakh to KPC and INR 10 lakh to DIPR staff.
The main objective of the three-fold partnership was to encourage collaboration between establishments and support each other’s obligation to public services, promote public interest and highlight the sectoral focus on workers associated with building and other construction activities and publicise the board’s activities, particularly on social justice schemes and welfare benefits.
The chairman of Nagaland Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board, Dr. Kekhrie Yhome, informed that KPC would initiate and institute the fellowship against any media with a central focus on conditions of building and other construction workers.
The DIPR would produce two documentaries - highlighting the schemes and benefits of the welfare board (below 90 seconds) - and others strictly related to trends, status and conditions of the building and other construction workers (less than 10 minutes), he informed.
KPC president, Alice Yhoshü, said the agreement is a first in Nagaland that a press club is venturing out beyond the usual activities and taking the responsibility of introducing media fellowship to the growing community of journalists.
With the inking, KPC would embark on working out the necessary module of the fellowship programme and announce it in the local media, she added.
She was optimistic that the fellowship would provide a learning opportunity for fellow journalists to experience the socio-economic life of disadvantaged communities while creating an impact through their storytelling by bringing desired changes relating to the issues that are highlighted.
The KPC president also proposed an introductory workshop to understand the purpose of the programme before the commencement of the fellowship programme.
She further hoped that more government bodies and departments would come forward to partner with press organisations to support the growth of impactful journalism in the state and also improve the lives of the disadvantaged, thereby delivering social justice in society.
The joint director of DIPR, Asangla Imsong, has appreciated the initiative and ensured that the department would try to make the best use of the grant received.