Media has to play a role in democracy says PM

New Delhi, Oct 3: Lauding the efforts of the media for bringing to fore the loopholes of developmental programmes, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today admitted that there are leakages and administrative inadequacies in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP), which must be curbed.

“It is the duty of the media and other civil society agents to highlight these weakness so that these programme can be implemented in the spirit which has guided their implementation," Manmohan Singh said while addressing the 66th Annual General Meeting of Indian Language Newspapers Association here.

"In a democracy, the media has to play a role of watch dog. We in Government do benefit enormously from the criticism and the corrective advise of the media," he added.

The Prime Minister further said that if all the notified grassroot programmes are implemented honestly and effectively, they can certainly change the face of rural India in the next four or five years.

Commenting on the unprecedented growth of media, Dr Singh said, “It may be no exaggeration to suggest that we are living through a golden era of Indian media."

The expansion of market of the media has contributed to greater employment opportunities as well as the growth of other media related industries and services, he added.

He also said that media has contributed in the rising literacy rates, growing political awareness and rising levels of incomes, along with processes of urbanisation.

The Prime Minister urged the media to also look at the qualitative aspect of its growth. Dr Singh also gave away awards to the regional language and publications for their outstanding contribution in the field of language journalism.

ANI>