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<\/p>\nTFP Bureau, Raipur, March 9, 2026: Ahead of International Women\u2019s Day, the Indian National Congress organised a special programme in Raipur to honour women journalists working in various fields of media. The event was organised by the party\u2019s communications department, where dozens of women journalists were felicitated with the \u201cKalam Veerangna Samman\u201d in recognition of their contribution to journalism and public discourse.<\/p>\n
The honour was presented by senior Congress leaders including Bhupesh Baghel, National General Secretary of the party; Deepak Baij; Phulo Devi Netam; former minister Shiv Kumar Dahariya; in-charge general secretary Malkit Singh Gaidu; and state communications department chairman Sushil Anand Shukla. The leaders honoured the women journalists by presenting them with shawls and mementos during the programme.<\/p>\n
Addressing the gathering, former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said it was encouraging to see a large number of women actively working in the field of journalism today. He recalled that in earlier decades, the presence of women in media was very limited, particularly in the print sector. According to him, there was a time when only three or four women journalists worked in the entire print media network of Raipur.<\/p>\n
Baghel noted that the situation has changed significantly over the years and women have now established a strong presence across various platforms including reporting, television anchoring, digital journalism and investigative reporting. He said the growing participation of women in media reflects their empowerment and determination to contribute to society.<\/p>\n
He further said the Congress party has been honouring women journalists for the past four consecutive years as a mark of respect for their work. Journalism and journalists, he added, have played an important role since the country\u2019s independence by strengthening democratic values and raising the voice of the people. He congratulated the communications department for continuing the tradition of honouring women journalists and recognising their contribution to society.<\/p>\n
State Congress President Deepak Baij said that journalism is a challenging profession, especially for women, as it requires dedication, courage and the ability to balance professional and personal responsibilities. He said the women journalists present at the event were successfully meeting these challenges and setting inspiring examples.<\/p>\n
Baij stated that journalists act as the voice of the common people and play a vital role in highlighting public issues and strengthening democratic institutions. He added that the opposition also expects strong and responsible journalism to ensure accountability in governance. Women journalists, he said, are playing a crucial role in protecting democratic values and bringing important social issues to public attention.<\/p>\n
Rajya Sabha member Phulo Devi Netam also congratulated the journalists and expressed happiness at seeing such a large number of women working in media organisations. She said the initiative of honouring women journalists on the occasion of International Women\u2019s Day is unique and reflects the respect given to women in public life in Chhattisgarh.<\/p>\n
Netam said women journalists have become role models for the nation by working tirelessly to highlight social concerns, public issues and stories from grassroots communities. She said building a strong presence in the field of news reporting requires immense dedication and courage, and women journalists are successfully overcoming these challenges through their hard work.<\/p>\n
State Congress communications department chief Sushil Anand Shukla said the presence of so many women journalists at the programme itself reflects the progress women have made in the field of media. He said the Congress communications department feels honoured to recognise their achievements.<\/p>\n
According to Shukla, women journalists are a powerful symbol of women\u2019s empowerment and social awareness. Their work not only informs society but also inspires people to think critically and remain engaged with public issues.<\/p>\n
During the programme, a large number of women journalists from print, television and digital media platforms were honoured with the \u201cKalam Veerangna Samman.\u201d Among those recognised were Jyoti Thakur, Sonal Bhardwaj, Shagupta Shirin, Supriya Pandey, Nidhi Prasad, Nisha Dwivedi, Tahseen Naz, Soma Dewangan, Rajni Thakur, Tanu Verma, Chitra Patel, Karishma Soni, Monica Dubey, Tripti Soni, Damini Banjare, Rashmi Dolia, Rasika Pandey, Riya Sahu, Ambika Mishra, Kiran Nayak, Jigyasa Chandra, Rekha Christopher, Poonam Ritu Sen, Shabnam Yajmani, Sudha Bagh, Seema Dubey, Prachi Pandey, Pushpanjali Sahu, Varsha Yadav, Manisha Tripathi, Varsha Namdev, Priyansha Lojaras, Shubhangi Singh, Puja Gupta, Aarti Benia, Anjali Dewangan, Sona Rajput, Jyoti Rao, Renu Tiwari, Neha Srivastava, Shweta Sharma, Chhaya Jaiswal, Shweta Rai, Mahima Pandey, Surabhi Verma, Ruchi Nirmalkar, Sadhna Pandey, Divya Tandon, Sharda Kachhi, Aahana Punj, Rajshree Thawait, Padma Kuldeep, Sarika Srivastava, Yashi Raje, Tanya Dewangan, Vanshika Shaoke, Yogita Vajpayee, Srishti Pandey, Khushi Ansari, Richa Sahay, Muskan Sahu, Vani Mishra, Linky Sahu, Shivani Sherke, Hema Goswami, Naushin Parvin, Kumud Mishra, Saraswati Gurung, Madhumita Pal, Ankita Sharma, Ritu Ahirwar, Kusum Baghel, Lekhika Sinha, Mahima Verma, Shakuntala Tarar, Ratna Pandey, Soma Singh, Sonali Sharma, Nivedita Sahu, Anuradha Gupta, Kanchan Yadav, Archana Sahu, Shruti Jangde, Deepanjali Sahu, Kritika Trivedi, Sushmita Rai, Khushboo Thackeray, Simran Mishra, Reema Mishra, Rani Kannauje, Sushmita Srivastava, Nirmala Bharti, Shreya Ghosale, Anusha Srivastava, Pragati Vajpayee, Arpana Sancheti, Pallavi Thakur and Karuna Kurre.<\/p>\n
The programme was conducted by Congress spokesperson Vandana Rajput and senior spokesperson Dhananjay Singh Thakur, while the vote of thanks was delivered by senior spokesperson Surendra Verma.<\/p>\n
Several senior Congress leaders and party functionaries were also present at the event, including former minister Shivkumar Dahariya, in-charge general secretary Malkit Singh Gaidu, senior leader Mahendra Chhabra, Dr Rakesh Gupta, city Congress president Shrikumar Menon, rural president Pappu Banjare, Ashok Raj Ahuja, spokesperson Satyaprakash Singh, Ajay Gangwani, Prakash Mani Vaishnav, Saurabh Sahu, Rishabh Chandrakar, Shilpa Devangan, Neeta Lodhi and Deepti Dubey.<\/p>\n
The event concluded with leaders reiterating that women journalists are playing a vital role in shaping public opinion, strengthening democracy and ensuring that the voices of the people reach the corridors of power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Leaders praise growing role of women in media, say women journalists strengthening democracy and public voice<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,149,33],"tags":[122],"class_list":["post-6299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-congress","category-politics","tag-inc-chhattishgarh"],"yoast_head":"\n