Our Correspondent
Kohima, Feb. 26 (EMN): The need to focus on improvement of both quality and content in disseminating information by government departments for effective implementation of welfare schemes was underscored during a one-day media workshop titled ‘Vartalap’ held at Eastgate Hotel in Kohima on Saturday.
The workshop was organised by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) under the ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Kohima, for the media fraternity with the objective of reaching out to the last citizen on the theme ‘Improving information dissemination in Nagaland.’
Addressing the programme, the joint director of Information and Public Relations (IPR), Asangla Imsong, has stressed on the need to create better involvement of stakeholders concerned in order to benefit the rural people. She also pointed out the need to connect with the people through provision of useful information about the welfare programmes of the government.
While maintaining that fake or misleading news pose a big challenge, she has stressed on the need to institute mechanisms to rebut fake news on a real time basis. Imsong also impressed upon the need to strengthen human capacity to deal with the challenges of new age non-traditional media such as FM channels, social media etc in the form of realigning focus and re-orient organisational structure to better deal with the rapidly evolving media.
In this context, the official called upon the media fraternity to improve on various developmental parameters and highlight the positive side of the welfare schemes/ campaigns rolled out by the government.
Also speaking on the occasion, president of Kohima Press Club (KPC), Alice Yhoshu, pointed out that the government is often criticised for inadequate implementation and last-mile delivery of schemes that are meant to help the people because of the absence of adequate information. She stated that without proper information, there would be no active participation from stakeholders, which would in turn make way for loopholes in the monitoring mechanism and resulted in opening doors for diversion of funds, corruption and failure in implementation of the policy.
Pointing out that policies are made in ministries but implemented at the state, district and village levels, she has advocated the need to strengthen grassroots governance while adding that proper feedback should be channelised to the policymakers to modify the systemic flaws.
“The media has limited exposure to most of the schemes as there is little or no interaction at all between the implementing departments and journalists,” Yhoshu said.
In this regard, she called upon the departments that are implementing welfare schemes to conduct training or workshops for journalists to understand the objective and intent of the schemes so that they would be able to interpret them to the target audience.
Also speaking on the occasion, KPC general secretary Atono Tsukru Kense presented and overview of the implementation of welfare schemes in Nagaland and highlighted the various interventions and schemes such as clean drinking water and sanitation to every habitation, eradicating polio and tuberculosis, making primary education universal for every male and female child etc.
During the technical session, the project officer from the directorate of Tribal Affairs, Imsumeren, presented the various schemes and projects implemented by the department.
The assistant manager of training and education from Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA), Khrolou Koza Lohe, has highlighted the various activities undertaken by the authority, while the assistant director of Rural Development, Asanuo, has also highlighted the various interventions and the schemes that the department implements for the people in the state.
The welcome address was delivered by assistant director of PIB, Kohima, K Sonikumar Singh, wherein he stated that the workshop was organised to bridge the information gap and enlightened the media fraternity on the various schemes being undertaken by the central government in the state.