SIVASAGAR, Dec 21 - The State executive meet of the Assam State Journalists� Union (ASJU) was held on Sunday at the Sivasagar District Journalists� Association office and was attended by about 100 delegates from different districts.
Inaugurating the meeting, Sivasagar Deputy Commissioner Bishnu Kamal Bora said that journalists are social scientists, who, with painstaking efforts, help spread information in society and thereby strengthen people�s power in a democracy. Journalists also remind the executive and the legislature of their roles and responsibilities in a democratic state, he said.
Presided over by ASJU president Jitu Sarma Rajkhowa, the meeting decided, among other things, to hold the next biennial meeting at Pobitora in Morigaon district and the mid-term session in Majuli. The term of the present executive was extended unanimously due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ASJU president lauded the efforts of the SDJA in holding the meeting successfully and sought cooperation of all delegates in upholding the ethics of journalism while serving the society as members of the Fourth Estate.
Sarmah also said that as many as 752 mediapersons all over the globe, including 29 in Assam, were killed while in the line of duty.
Ratul Bora, general secretary, called upon the members to strengthen the ASJU. The meeting resolved to constitute a Trust with a revolving fund of about Rs 1 crore for the members� welfare.
Bonti Sikha Pathak and Ram Prasad Phukan were nominated as president and secretary of the Trust. A sum of Rs 20,000 was collected in the meeting from the members.
The meeting decided to institute a State journalism award in the memory of Datta Dev Goswami of Auniati Satra, who pioneered Assamese journalism at Majuli about a century back. The meeting also felicitated writers Durlov Buragohain and P Dutta.
