Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has said that being the fourth pillar of democracy, the work of media is to alert every organ of governance and to provide information to the public with truth, accuracy and impartiality. He said that a free press is the backbone of a democratic nation.
Along with freedom, press has to be responsible as well. It is important to give preference to positive news. This gives impetus to the positive changes taking place in the society.
Dhankhar was addressing the fourth convocation of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication here today. He is also the Visitor (Ex-officio) of the University. He dedicated the new campus of the university located at Bishankhedi, Bhopal. Public Relations and Public Health Engineering Minister Rajendra Shukla and Higher Education Minister Mohan Yadav were specially present in the programme.
He wished for a bright future of the university and expressed confidence that this institute will continue its excellent contribution in the world of journalism. The Vice President said that journalism is not a business but a social service. Journalists are the sentinels of democracy. Rise above personal interest and professional benefits and work with a spirit of service.
Wishing all the students conferred with degrees a bright future, Dhankhar expressed the confidence that all the students will use the knowledge gained for public welfare. He urged everyone to make a strong contribution to India’s Vikas Yatra with the determination to build the nation by keeping national interest paramount as per the thinking of national poet, writer and journalist Pandit Makhanlal Chaturvedi.
The Vice President expressed happiness towards the traditional attire and angavastra in the convocation ceremony. He said that one can see glimpses of all four directions of India - North, South, East, West. This is a very meaningful message for the country. Dhankhar said that today India is setting new records in every field – economic, education and research. It’s a matter of pride. Today the environment is such that every person can bring any improvement in oneself and can contribute in making India a world leader. In the convocation ceremony, the Vidvat Ytatra led by Registrar Avinash Vajpayee entered the auditorium amidst the sacred sound of Vedic chants. The Vice President dedicated the convocation programme by lighting the lamp with Swasti Vachan and Mangalacharan.
As many as 23 research scholars of the University from 2018 to 2023 were awarded PhD degrees by the Vice President in the ceremony. Along with this, about 450 students of Media, Media Management, Computer and Information Technology courses were awarded Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Computer Application, Master of Journalism, Master of Library and Information Science and Master of Philosophy degrees.
Dhankhar awarded Vageshwari Nandini for obtaining the highest marks in film production of the university in the session 2020-22 with Late Anil Choubey Memorial Medal, cheque of Rs. 21 thousand and a certificate, Shweta Rani was awarded for getting the highest marks in Advertising and Public Relations course with the Amba Prasad Srivastava Memorial Medal and certificate in session 2020-22, and Anjali for obtaining the highest marks in the Journalism Post Graduate course of the University in the session 2021-23 with Late Rameshwar Dayal Tiwari Memorial Medal, a cheque of Rs 11,000 and a certificate.
Vice Chancellor K.G. Suresh presented the report of the university. Suresh told that Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication is the first journalism university in Asia and the largest journalism university in the country, which has been teaching and providing training in journalism, broadcast journalism, public relations and advertising, film studies, mass communication, library science, media management, computer science and applications, new media technology, electronic media and communication research subjects.
Recently, it has been included among the best media organizations in India Today Open Magazine Survey and The Week Magazine rankings. It is the first university in the country to implement media courses under the National Education Policy 2020. Today there are more than 2 lakh students in five campuses and more than 1600 study centers in the state. The University has entered into MoUs with many academic and non-academic institutions and universities at national and international levels including the UN Population Fund, which is benefiting the knowledge and skills of the students for academic upgradation. Under the new National Education Policy, an employment-oriented Department of Film Studies and Cinematography has been established. This first study center of Central India will fulfill the positive, creative and nation building objectives of the society through digital film making. We have also taken a principled decision to create the country’s first digital newspaper ‘Museum’ in the memory of Pandit Jugal Kishore Shukla, the founding editor of the first Hindi newspaper Udant Martand. Suresh provided detailed information about the activities, achievements and upcoming action plans of the university. The Vice-Chancellor gave the convocation address to the degree holders. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan could not attend the program virtually due to technical disruption. MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, MLA P.C. Sharma and university professors and students were present. The program was conducted by Vivek Savarikar.
Vice President plants saplings with his wife
The Vice President along with his wife Sudesh Dhankar planted kadamba saplings in the new campus of the university.
