The edition was formally launched by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh at a function held here.

He said by starting a separate edition, the management of The Tribune had fulfilled a long-pending demand of English newspapers readers in the state. The oldest newspaper of the region had served the people for the past 125 years with dedication and commitment, maintaining credibility by presenting news and views in an effective and unbiased manner. Over the years, it had established its credentials as a reliable source of information. Neutrality, objectivity and authenticity had been its hallmark that earned it the respect of the people, he said.

A unique feature of the newspaper was that it was not owned by any business house or family and managed by a Trust that had eminent personalities on its board. He said he had been reading it since pre-Independence days and even today the first newspaper he picked up in the morning was The Tribune.

He said The Tribune, and the print media in general, had a bright future despite the recent spurt in the number of news channels. Twentyfour-hour news channels were mushrooming, yet the print media had been growing at a remarkable pace. The number of newspapers and magazines was increasing and the readership growing. The state, he said, now had more newspaper readers than ever before thanks to the ever-increasing literacy rate that had shot up from 7 per cent in 1948, when the state came into being, to almost 90 per cent.

The state had excelled in social sector, education, health and infrastructure development. Not only that, some bold steps like imposing a moratorium on green fellings had been taken in the larger interest of the country. The state was losing forest revenue to the tune of Rs 100 crore to help protect the fragile Himalayan environment, he added.

Justice R.S. Pathak, president of The Tribune Trust, said media was a powerful tool for shaping public opinion, providing environment for assimilation of knowledge and determining the psychological mindset of the people. Being the repository of people’s faith, newspapers were required to act fearlessly, truthfully and impartially. The Tribune had all these years strived to maintain the highest ethical standards. Objectivity had been one of its identifying features, he said.

Sardar Dayal Singh Majithia, founder of The Tribune, was a man of far-reaching vision and wisdom who gave the newspaper to the region as a medium of education. He said the Himachal edition was an effort to provide greater momentum to the role that the newspaper performed in the life of the people of the state. It would help to serve them more punctually and with greater efficiency in bringing regional and national news.

Editor-in-chief of The Tribune H.K. Dua said the newspaper had a special association with Shimla, which provided it shelter after it was displaced from Lahore at the time of Partition. For that matter, it was indebted to the city and the state and by bringing out a separate edition, it would be repaying a part of the debt. A separate edition would further strengthen the special bond with the state, he said.

The newspaper would share the joys, achievements and problems of the people while endeavouring to provide wider coverage to the state.

The Tribune trustees R.S. Talwar, Justice S.S. Sodhi and Dr R.P. Bambah, general manager of the trust Sanjay Hazari, several ministers, legislators, intellectuals, senior bureaucrats, prominent advocates and members of the media fraternity were among those present at the function.