Gangtok PIB organizes Vartalap Media workshop PM Modi's upcoming Sikkim visit to boost tourism: Bikash Basnet

GANGTOK,  (PIB): Press Information Bureau, Gangtok organized “Vartalap”, a media workshop in Gangtok on Monday that brought together media houses of Sikkim and representatives from Press Information Bureau, Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Sikkim, Akashvani Gangtok and Doordarshan Kendra Gangtok.

The event aimed to share government initiatives and schemes with the media persons as well as to build a bridge between government officials and journalists of Sikkim.

Kripa Shankar Yadav, additional director general, Press Information Bureau, North Eastern Zone, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, graced the program as the chief guest. Rajiv Gogoi, head, Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Sikkim unit, and Neeraj Kr Pandey, cluster head, Doordarshan and Akashvani Gangtok attended as the special guests.

In his address, Yadav highlighted the key purposes of Vartalap. He emphasized that the relationship between the media and government must be reaffirmed from time to time. Local media houses must shoulder the responsibility of disseminating information that the people of Sikkim deserve, even to the farthest corner of the State.

Yadav also highlighted possible measures for preventing the rapid dissemination of fake news and propaganda. He requested the people of Sikkim and India to rely on government news sources instead of blindly forwarding everything they receive on WhatsApp or other social media platforms. He also extended his respect to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for efficiently countering fake news and propaganda. He invited everyone to act as responsible citizens in this era of ‘Information Warfare.’

Rajib Gogoi, head, Botanical Survey of India, Sikkim, emphasized the role of citizens in recognizing climate change and taking necessary actions to deal with it. The constant uprooting of trees for development, neglecting cleanliness norms out of sheer negligence, is slowly dragging us towards global warming. The people of Sikkim should be the torchbearers in this regard and show the whole nation how they execute their duty as responsible citizens.

Neeraj Kr. Pandey, cluster head, Doordarshan and Akashvani Gangtok, thanked PIB Gangtok for organizing such a relevant event. He urged all media fraternity to be cautious of misinformation in this era of ‘Breaking News’. He also acknowledged the distribution of saplings to panelists and other guests, as the environment is an integral part of our life.

To conclude, Pandey extended his warm regards to the people of Sikkim and all media houses for relentlessly working to disseminate information and schemes of the Central and State governments to the people of Sikkim.

The program had three panel discussions. The first panel discussion focused on "Sikkim @ 50 & Growth of Media" with Bikash Basnet, political secretary to the Chief Minister of Sikkim. This session was anchored by Manas Pratim Sarma, assistant director, Press Information Bureau, Gangtok.

Basnet enlightened the audience on how the media landscape of Sikkim has evolved over the past few years. He also emphasized that in the flood of information on social media, we need to remain very careful to assimilate correct information and disseminate it. As citizens, we must filter correct information from intentional or unintentional misinformation.

Basnet further added that Sikkim is all set to welcome Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for his upcoming visit to the State. In addition, this visit is expected to boost tourism in Sikkim significantly, as Prime Minister Modi is one of the most admired politicians in India and around the world, with a massive following on social media.

The second session focused on ‘Tourism as a Way of Life with Emphasis on Kailash Mansarovar Yatra,’ featuring Prakash Chhetri, secretary, department of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Government of Sikkim. Senior journalist Dilli Ram Dulal anchored the session.

Chhetri shared valuable insights regarding the procedures of the Yatra and thanked the Government of India for taking the initiative. He also discussed the future plans of the Department of Tourism, Government of Sikkim, to provide first-class services to upcoming tourists. He said that forty percent of the people in Sikkim are involved in the tourism industry.

The third and final session, which covered the topic ‘Role of Media in Countering Fake News and Propaganda,’ was attended by Annapurna Alley, secretary, Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Sikkim; Amit Patro, editor of Sikkim Express and Himali Bela; and ADG Yadav.

The session was anchored by Mainak Chatterjee, Information Assistant, PIB Gangtok.

The panelists shared that to prevent the spread of fake news, the government should introduce a policy to filter out misinformation on social media.

Alley shared that the Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Sikkim, is always proactive in sharing legitimate information with the people of Sikkim.

Patro said that as an editor, he always has to be 100% sure before sending news to the publishing house.

ADG Yadav said that PIB and local media houses must work together as a team to disseminate correct information and government schemes to the people of Sikkim.

At the outset, the workshop began with the lighting of the inaugural lamp by Kripa Shankar Yadav, ADG, NEZ, PIB and the special guests. The event was anchored by Usha Sharma, senior newsreader, Akashvani Gangtok.

The workshop was attended by officials from PIB, Akashvani News Gangtok, Doordarshan Kendra officials, and several regional print and digital media houses. The interactive session that followed provided a valuable opportunity for media professionals to engage with officials and clarify their doubts.