On the occasion of National Press Day, Home Minister Amit Shah took to Twitter and congratulated the entire media fraternity for working tirelessly towards strengthening the foundation of the nation. Shah also applauded media’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Greetings on #NationalPressDay. Our media fraternity is working tirelessly towards strengthening the foundations of our great nation. Modi govt is committed towards the freedom of Press and strongly oppose those who throttle it. I applaud Media’s remarkable role during COVID-19,” Amit Shah tweeted.
Greetings on #NationalPressDay. Our media fraternity is working tirelessly towards strengthening the foundations of our great nation. Modi govt is committed towards the freedom of Press and strongly oppose those who throttle it.
I applaud Media’s remarkable role during COVID-19.— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 16, 2020
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also heaped praises on Media fraternity and said that the media has been doing exceptional service by spreading awareness against COVID-19 and has acted as a valuable stakeholder in helping the government in its initiatives.
Be it positive criticism or highlighting success stories, the media has been continuously adding strength to India’s democratic ethos, the prime minister added in his written message on the day, being celebrated virtually with a webinar organised by the Press Council of India.
From creating mass awareness about important issues to contributing to a behavioural change in society for the larger good, we have seen how the media as a valued stakeholder has furthered the efforts of the government and helped many initiatives like Swachh Bharat and water conservation grow into mass movements in the last few years,” he said.
In his message, read out by PCI chairperson C K Prasad, PM Modi said he was heartened to learn that the Council was celebrating the day. The webinar being held on the theme ‘Role of media during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the media’ with participants from several other countries also reflects the “enabling power of technology, he said.
Democracy cannot survive without a free and fearless press.
Any attack on the freedom of the press is detrimental to national interests and should be opposed by one and all.#NationalPressDay @PIB_India
— Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) November 16, 2020
Vice president Venkaiah Naidu also tweeted his wishes on the occasion and pointed out that media played an important role in strengthening democracy. “My Greetings to all the media professionals on National Press Day. Media plays a key role in strengthening democracy and in informing & empowering the citizens. I laud the media persons for keeping the people informed continuously during the pandemic,” he tweeted.