Haryana media awards for Dainik Bhaskar, Tribune scribes

Chandigarh, Dec 22 (UNI) The Haryana government has decided to award 'Shri Satpal Saini Samriti Shrestha Patarkarita Puraskar' to Dainik Bhaskar's Delhi-based Correspondent Hemant Atri, and 'Shri Rajindra Hooda Samriti Navodit Shrestha Patarkarita Puraskar' to Tribune's Senior Staff Correspondent here Geetanjali Gayatri for the year 2005-06.

Both these awards, instituted this year, would carry a cash prize of Rs one lakh, a commendation certificate and a shawl each, an official spokesman today said.

State Government had constituted a committee, headed by Director, Public Relations and Cultural Affairs, Haryana with Editor, Dainik Bhaskar, Babu Lal Sharma, Editor, Dainik Tribune, Naresh Kaushal, Media Advisor to Chief Minister, Sunder Pal Singh as its Members and Joint Director (Press) as its Member Secretary, to recommend the names of the journalists, he said.

The focus of the awards was on subjects like rural development, agriculture, women and child welfare, literacy, environment, communal harmony and cultural heritage of Haryana.

The spokesman said that Mr Atri had been bestowed this honour for his outstanding report titled ''Kokh Mein Jagah Beshak Na Ho, Sara Aakash Hamara'' (The womb may not have place for us, yet the sky is ours), which appeared in Dainik Bhaskar. The report highlighted the astounding achievements of women in Haryana in the backdrop of the historic space journey made by Kalpana Chawla.

Ms Gayatri had been selected for her analytical report in The Tribune regarding admissions in Government primary schools, which prompted the state government to withdraw the mandatory clause of production of birth certificate for admissions, resulting in an increase in primary school admissions in the state, he said.

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