Jaipur, October 24 (Udaipur Kiran): The Pink City Press Club celebrated its Foundation Day with a grand ceremony that brought together senior and young journalists, who were honoured for their outstanding contributions to the field of journalism. The event began with the traditional lighting of the lamp by Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa, MLA Gopal Sharma, M.L. Swarnkar (Founder, Mahatma Gandhi Hospital), club founding members Praveen Chand Chhabra and Sanjeev Srivastava, along with Club President Mukesh Meena and General Secretary Mukesh Chaudhary.

Deputy Chief Minister’s Address

Extending greetings on the occasion of Foundation Day and Diwali, Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa said that the media is the fourth pillar of democracy, serving as a vital bridge between society and the government. “A journalist’s primary duty is to bring out the truth and hold both society and the administration accountable. By doing so, the media plays a key role in nation-building,” he added.

Club’s Appeal to the State Government

Club President Mukesh Meena, in his address, welcomed all guests and raised several important issues concerning journalists, including the pending pension scheme, simplification of accreditation, and the need for a journalist protection law. Founding member Praveen Chand Chhabra shared insights into the club’s journey and its contributions since inception.

Awards and Recognitions

Numerous journalists were honoured across categories for excellence in print, digital, electronic, and photo journalism.

Best Print Media Reporters:

• Alok Khandelwal (Dainik Bhaskar)

• Suresh Yogi (Dainik Navjyoti)

• Jitendra Singh Rajawat (Punjab Kesari)

Best Electronic Media Reporters:

• Aishwarya Pradhan (First India)

• Harsha Singh (NDTV)

• K.J. Srivatsan (News 24)

• Anil Sain (Jan TV)

• Lovely Wadhwa (News India)

• Manish Sharma (News 9)

Special Awards:

• Ajit Singh (PTI) – Best Electronic Media Award

• Hemant Katara (First India) and Vimal Singh Tanwar – Excellency Media Award

• Madan Kalal (Dainik Bhaskar) – Best Investigative Stories Award

Digital Media Awards:

Video Journalist Awards:

Lifetime Achievement Awards:

• Asif Ullah Khan, Hari Singh Solanki, Chandra Shekhar Hada, Om Prakash Poonia, Ajay Kumar Sharma, Surendra Chauhan, and Gautam Shrimali

Special Recognition for Contribution to Journalism:

• Dilip Dixit, Neelam Munjal, Roshan Lal Sharma, Vaibhav Loka, Richa Shukla, Sunil Sushila Sharma, and Shivkumar Jalan

Photo Journalism Awards:

• Manoj Shrestha (Dainik Bhaskar), Sunil Sharma (First India), Mukesh Sharma (Jago India Jago) – Best Photo Journalists

• Mahesh Acharya – Gopal Sengar Photo Journalism Award

• Bhagirath (Times of India), Ravishankar Vyas (Punjab Kesari), and Santosh Sharma (First India) – Photo Exhibition Awards

The event concluded with a vote of thanks by General Secretary Mukesh Chaudhary.