Media, the fourth pillar of democracy, has to channelize its potential in a positive and constructive manner, said Finance Minister Prasanna Acharya. He was speaking at the first annual day function of English weekly ‘The Kosal Horizon’ here.
The Kosal Horizon Editor Baidyanath Mishra presented a paper on topic ‘Is the fourth pillar the only hopeIJ’ and set the ball rolling for a lively discussion.
Speaking on the topic, Acharya said the fourth pillar is a conglomerate of writers, historians and scribes who have to do something with their pen. Though not empowered by the Constitution, it has the potential to surpass the other pillars and gain confidence of the mass with credibility. But it is also in no way sacrosanct, he rued.
Citing the case of Dr Venugopal, Director of AIMS, who was suspended by the Health Minister and later reinstated by the Supreme Court, he said it was a virtual tug of war to prove one’s superiority over the others. If knowingly or unknowingly they fall in trap, the media will be the only hope to support the crumbling edifice. The Indian Constitution, he said, is one of the best in the world and has survived the test of time. He cited another example how eleven members of Parliament were shown the door when ‘Cash for Question’ scam was brought to light and the then Speaker Somnath Chatterjee stood by the precept of Parliamentary autonomy and declined to respond to the call of the judiciary.
Minister for Transport and Commerce Subrat Tarai said the media should put its house in order before reaching out to the people and establish its credibility. All the pillars of democracy are today facing challenges and this is time for each one to support the other for building a strong society and a strong nation.
MlA Sarada Prasad Nayak was critical on people’s perception about politicians. Most of the problems could be solved if people joined hands with the politicians and bureaucrats. Corruption can be eradicated when people, both literate and illiterate, stop expecting sops from their leaders. HR head of Aditya Alumina Rakesh Mishra shared his experience with media and regretted as to how difficult it becomes to disseminate information to people about the CSR programmes of corporate houses through the media.
Rourkela BJD president Annand Chandra Mohanty appealed to the members of the fourth pillar to refrain from publishing news about the elite class and concentrate on the lower middle class and the grassroots.
Abhaya Padhi, former Additional Director General Prasar Bharati, moderated the proceedings of the seminar. Earlier, Swarup Mishra, publisher of the paper, welcomed the guests.