Changing face of Campaign Journalism in India

Campaigning is a series of planned operations to fetch a desired result, politically, socially and mostly ideologically.  The art of coaxing citizens to undergo, change, elect, fight, support, withdraw, defend a target group/power/party has been a highly effective tool for centuries.

Journalism has been conducive to such partisanship. Major public figures, events in history, discoveries, war, peace, annexations, etc. have been consequential to planned propaganda by the medium of information dissemination. However post feudal structures and authoritative regimes, news making has changed. Campaign Journalism has been defined by crusading editors who spear-headed anti- bureaucracy and power abuse since the colonial times. All major nationalist political struggles have been the result of extraordinary campaign journalism. The struggle for independence provided a common structure for all newspapers and publications to incite sedition.

Post Independent India, Journalists have continued to induce campaign Journalism to bring about certain accountability checks in government reforms. The interest of these campaigns was not a product of vote-bank politics, nor were they objectified by public relations of various interest groups. Statesman’s and Indian Expresses’s editorials on anti-Mrs. Gandhi stands a testament to that. Such publications were raided, staffers were jailed and heavy fines were imposed, none of which stopped the exemplaries to carry out their journalistic ideals. However, it is hard to point out the covert interests since, these newspapers barely managed to operate (the emergency period, Rajiv Gandhi’s government, Sanjay Gandhi’s government, etc).

It is interesting to note that even though news organizations had individual policies, but nowhere till the very late 90s had that affected their credibility as a news source. More or less newspapers were either soft government fearing bodies, or carried a unified view when against it. Sabotaging for economic or political interest didn’t start yet. Rural interests, like agriculture, farmers, panchayat elections still made to the effective news category of the editorial board.

However, the spectrum of gate keeping changed. The larger debates in public that campaign Journalism created, was campaigning for individuals. Public participation in the recent decades has redefined the rules of campaigning., Since the idea of campaigning has had a larger role to play in popularizing the medium of campaigning, public debates, nationwide have started to determine the ‘right candidate’ to campaign for. Also post the great Indian Middle class dream of a super economy has evolved the dimensions of journalism as a whole has tossed.

In a democratic environment, the liberal policies have sucked up to capitalistic ideals. News organizations have multiplied, and thus it’s not the government but the economic interest that has taken up the sphere for journalistic ideals. Complex technology, access to public portal by ordinary individuals has also resulted in a more sidelined news stories, focusing on a ‘classier’ audience.

Program for poorer students in university level education

http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/mid-day-meals-for-post-graduate-students-of-bangalore-university-68422


University students in Bangalore pursuing post graduation , will be provided with mid day meals. The idea is to target poorer students especially those belonging to the SC/ST category. About 1500 students are to benefit from this programme. Registered identities will be issued for the beneficiaries in order to prevent misuse.

Child Labour

If we are to talk of child labour, let's be fair and square here. I cannot presume that child to be better off with the hours of work he or she puts in instead of going to school, to play or anywhere else for that matter. The food , shelter, clothing that we as their 'masters' provide them with during their course of work , and the constant scrutiny in which they live in may not necessarily save them from delinquency either.When a mere child is handed over the responsibility of manual labour , that very child grows up in an environment that is beyond any suited conventions emotionally, psychologically and physically. Or are they to put up with it, because they do not belong to the same economic or social class that deserves egalitarianism.

Europe not before long had the concept of Au Pair , where an educated adult, helped with household chores in exchange for shelter. These young women mainly did so in search of residence during their course of education abroad.

However, a child who technically belongs to the dependency group in an economy, in a way takes up the job of an adult who could have been employed instead of him. Not only is he easy on the employers, he wouldn't demand much in terms of working hours or compensation for the work done, as long as you keep him diverted.

My point is how are we to blame as a society. Let us not divulge into government policies , technical help or foreign organisations. The concept of child labour comes up because of the way we live, the way we are programmed to function.Coming to my first argument about the assumption that child labours are better off, working somewhere, I would like to point out that if we cannot contribute to the child's development that was taking place in his native environment, who are we to vanquish it. In our economy, which is fairy market driven, the demand for children as workers has risen , hence the migration of children from their native places has risen. Their parents might be helpless, but we certainly aren't. When an empowered body refuses to look out for the dis-empowered, we cannot expect our society to move any further. With this I rest my case.

Film on the commonwealth labourers and their life beyond that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6Pr1Q-FaKY

Celebrating Independence

In the 63rd year of independence , within the hullabaloo surrounding the 15th of August, I wonder what this really means for us.

Higher GDP, the final kick start to the N-deal, newer Ambanis and Tatas to join the golden bandwagon, the next World super power, or the 37.2 % BPL, mass starvation or the most corrupt nation. The dichotomies are infinite and so is the Big Development issue.

Freedom means being able to think, express, move and associate freely. It means being able to choose between what is right and what could have been. Just as we come to think of our independence day, it does not seem to allow us spaces to commit to activities we would like to indulge in. Hence, on this one if I be the P.M of India, I would like to cancel all compulsory celebrations are restricted road spaces for the common man. I would want every individual to be given that one day in doing whatever that one person wished to, (within the legal framework of the constitution). I would allow that single day to be able to celebrate the spirit of independence in the country.

Health and Family Planning

A nationwide program called the Janani Sahayogi Yojana was launched by the government to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates especially in the rural sector. It seeks to promote institutional deliveries which would involve safer medical methods during childbirth. A larger portion of the country still depends on inadequate and unhealthy methods of domicile maternal care , which turns out to be the primary reason for deaths during childbirths. However under this program the government provides financial aid to assure that expectant mothers who are unable to afford institutional maternity care, post and prior to child birth.

A recent report said that the Madhya Pradesh government is planning to include women below poverty line in this scheme. A huge amount is sanctioned starting from pre-natal checkups, to sonography , to C-section. This was published in the centralchronicle.com.

http://centralchronicle.com/viewnews.asp?articleID=3976

Agricultural Extension in India

Ruffling through the documents, magazines, newspapers, websites and what not, it would be appropriate to conclude that agriculture does not fall under any major national or economic interests.

The term agricultural extension , is widely used to describe any scientific development in the field of agriculture through farmer education.It also includes disseminating information regarding communication, business or research to inculcate productive growth. Our country which still sustains primarily on agriculture , lacks extensive development in terms of higher productivity for the farmers.

These issues are also fairly sidelined by the media. Rural reporting often restricts to the dire wretched plight faced by 'them'. The only visible reportage comes in terms of feature stories of  suicides by poverty stricken farmers.Barely any private media organisation works with the agricultural sector of the country. It is as if their condition is legitimate.Hence, it does not fail to appall me that the occupation that sustains 58.4% of our population , contributes only 17.2% towards the GDP of the entire economy.

 Most extension schemes have failed to prosper as an alternative to sustain agriculture as a dependable occupation. Most immigrant seasonal laborers are a result of this phenomenon. The reason for failure of these programs is usually lack of infrastructure, qualified personnels to educate them.

Besides that , no other widespread programs have helped agriculture overall.Such slackened efforts are usually the result of the sidelined group of a society who are not well-equipped to support themselves. Nor are the essential means to uplift them are practiced.

Not only has the government failed to integrate agriculture to sustain and provide decent livelihood through it, we have successfully ignored their importance into our social system. Instead of seeing agriculture as a defunct in the hierarchy, if we see it as a part of our country's development structure, we will be assured of a steadier and a more uniform growth.