Ram Patro Memorial awards function celebrates journalistic excellence

GANGTOK, 24 May: “It is a great honour for me to be present here and be part of the Ram Patro Memorial Awards function,” shared Speaker KT Gyaltsen, while addressing the gathering of media person at the 6th Ram Patro Memorial Award ceremony held here at Royal Plaza today.
“People choose their representatives, and these representatives act as the voice of the people and thus the actions of the government have a bearing on the citizens directly,” he pointed out, adding that accountability and transparency in decision-making was a must and that free press thus became an important part of the Parliamentary system.
People possess the ‘Right to Know’ and this information comes from the press and the media, who are ‘watchdogs of the people,” he said. The press and media have a major role to play as they can influence and motivate public opinion for good or for bad and so information is power but the right and positive information should be provided to the people, Mr. Gyaltsen, speaking as the chief guest said.

“In the end, the rights and interests of the people are supreme and so journalists should practice and promote constructive and positive journalism for the betterment of the society and the nation as a whole,” stated the Speaker.
Speaking earlier, the guest of honour, BB Gooroong, Chairman, Social Welfare Board, said, “Today’s journalism should not be just cityy oriented but also village centric.”
“Don’t just print the press releases of the opposition parties, but do go through them properly and see to what are the issues they are raising or writing about because in the end, the ethics of the journalist should come into play and not make a quick buck with sensational news,” he added.
“Do proper journalism, print press releases, but most importantly do ‘investigative journalism’ which is more important. Who is responsible and who is accountable are the questions journalists should be asking and this is what good journalists should follow,” he further added.
“Sikkim’s opposition is alive only because of the journalists of Sikkim. If they do not print their press releases then there is no opposition,” said CD Rai, Chairman of the Ram Patro Memorial Award Committee, while addressing the gathering earlier in the day.
Prabin Khaling [Sikkim correspondent of the daily newspapers Sunakhari Samachar and Prabhat Khabar published from Siliguri] was conferred the Ram Patro Memorial Award as the ‘Most Promising Journalist’ of Sikkim for the year 2010-11, similarly, Rupesh Sharma [copy editor of Nepali daily Himali Bela published from Gangtok] was selected for the Ram Patro Memorial Award as ‘The Best Working Journalist in Sikkim Express and Himali Bela’ for the year 2010-11, while, Navin Limboo [layout designer, Sikkim Express] was felicitated for his diligent service to the newspaper. The awards are given every year to encourage young, promising journalists of Sikkim, and are conferred in the memory of the founder-editor of the SE group, the late Ram Patro.