Journos need adequate orientation training: Movement President

Puducherry, Nov 13 (UNI) Stating that media has to play a leading role in strengthening ''participative Decentralised Democracy'' in the country, Puducherry Panchayat Movement president V A Vasudeva Raju, today called up on Justice G N Ray, Chairman, Press Council of India, to utilise the National Press Day properly.

In a letter to Justice Ray, a copy of which was released to the media here, Mr Raju said to realise this, journalists and media need adequate orientation training.

The National Press Day was the proper occasion to deliberate on this issue, he said.

Pointing out several lapses on the part of the press, he said the media, during the past 15 years, by and large, could be classified as rather irresponsible, since it had failed to act as 'watch dog' of development of decentralised participative democracy in the country.

He said the Union Government had convened a national convention of district and block-level panchayat presidents in New Delhi for three days from April 22, and none of the English dailies covered the function.

The non-coverage of the event was enough to prove the lackadaisical attitude and disreard of the media towards Panchayati Raj, he charged.

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