Media can play only complimentary role in achieving sustainable development: VC

PATIALA:“The classical Gandhian thought about sustainable development is not singularly adequate in the present inclusive global economic scenario even as it was contrary to the modern capitalistic societal needs.

Tribune News Service

Patiala, October 13

“The classical Gandhian thought about sustainable development is not singularly adequate in the present inclusive global economic scenario even as it was contrary to the modern capitalistic societal needs. It needs to be reinvented and reinterpreted to meet the existential challenges and long-term developmental perceptions.”

This was stated by the Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University Prof BS Ghuman in his presidential remarks on the inaugural day of the two-day national workshop on the ‘Media and Information Literacy to Promote Gandhian Approach to Environment and Sustainable Development’, being organised by the university’s Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha Library at the Senate Hall here today.

“There was a huge difference between rhetoric and reality as far as formation and pronouncing of policies was concerned, where we are the champions and their implementation and achievement aspects where we are at the rock bottom,” said Prof Ghuman.

Media, he said, could play only complimentary role in improving the environment and achieving sustainable development.

Earlier, Dr Jagtar Singh, coordinator and professor in charge of the library, welcomed dignitaries and elaborated the theme of the workshop.

Vice-Chancellor of the JK Lakshmipat University, Jaipur, said given the present dreadful environment, it was a situation like “wake-up now or it will be late tomorrow.”

“After over 70 years of the Independence, we are still grappling with the basic slogan of ‘roti, kapda aur makaan’, which was a shameful scenario with economy moving from labour-driven to industry and information-intensive driven,” he said.

He stressed on the fact that needful information should reach right people at the right place and time, keeping the key components of information generation, process, its use and application in mind.

Dr IV Ralhan, Dean, Academic Affairs, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamsala, said the entire environment was becoming more and more unconducive to live with each passing day.

He expressed dismay and anxiety over the “malicious future that we are going to leave for our next generations”.

Media needs to be more aggressive and responsive, given the situation that various kinds of mafia bent upon converting the situation from bad to worst, he added.