Centre committed to ensuring media freedom: Prakash Javadekar

Union Information and Brocasting Minister Prakash Javekar on Friday said BJP-led government at Centre was committed to ensuring media freedom and recalled party leers' fight against emergency in 1975 to protect press freedom.

"During students movement days, we fought against emergency in 1975 and went to jail to protect media freedom."

"That commitment will remain today also and for ever to protect freedom of media,"  Prakash Javekar said while speaking on "New India: Government and Media" at Malayala Marama News Conclave in Kochi.

ting that re were more than one lakh publications, over 700 TV channels, many web and news portals in country, minister said with help of social media platforms w, body can stop anybody from communicating. That is power of communication, he said.

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Prakash Javekar furr said responsible freedom is essence of democratic society. He said responsible freedom does t mean regulated freedom but means being responsible while enjoying freedom.

Asserting that government was committed to media freedom, freedom of expression and protests, he said, "That freedom is essence of democracy and we will ensure that a vibrant democracy wants all se freedom. That we will ensure."

Prakash Javekar said essence of Narendra Modi government's concept of New India is "corruption-free New India, terror-free New India, casteism-free New India, communalism-free New India, poverty-free New India and dirt- free New India."  "We are fighting a battle against cross-border terrorism. New India has to be terror-free India," he said.

He said earlier, that many people did t caste ir vote, but voted for ir caste. "w we are seeing a change, people are exercising ir voting right beyond expression of ir caste and that is best thing to happen for a casteism-free New India," he said. 

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