Media needs to introspect role if wrong perception being created: Anurag Thakur

Union Minister Shri Anurag Thakur has  said that when some people surmised that Radio was going to have an existential crisis with the advent of Television and subsequently internet, radio has identified its audience and not just maintained its relevance but also its credibility.

Ye Akashvani Hai”, the immortal words that every Indian can identify, resonated in the Rang Bhawan auditorium at Akashvani Bhawan today as Shri Anurag Thakur uttered them, appending it with “aur aaj aap soochana prasaran mantri ko sunn rahe hain”. These opening words marked the celebration of National Broadcasting Day today, the day All India Radio had begun its, what was going to turn out to be a long and glorious journey, in 1927.

He added that today, when people want to listen to unbiased news, they naturally tune in to All India Radio and Doordarshan news. That 92 percent of the country’s geography and over 99 percent of people are covered by All India Radio is a commendable achievement, he said.

Speaking on the importance of Radio as a platform Shri Thakur said that many Prime Ministers have come but none saw the value of Radio as Prime Minister Narendra Modi who made it a platform of choice for his monthly Mann Ki Baat, to connect directly with the people of the country.

The Minister sounded a cautious note to the media and said that if somewhere a wrong perception is getting created about private media with utterances of ‘media trials’, then we need to introspect about our functioning.

Crediting the role of the two entities All India Radio and Doordarshan in delivering on the essence of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Minister said that when the education system since independence did not mention the role of many regional freedom fighters, Radio and Doordarshan curated information about over five hundred unsung heroes from the remotest corners of the country and presented it to the nation celebrating their contribution to the freedom struggle.