Shillong: Meghalaya officials are pushing for a tighter grip on how information travels to the public. Minister for Employment and Skill Development Methodius Dkhar said the media and administration must work together to ensure welfare benefits hit their targets. The call came Monday during a Press Information Bureau workshop in Nongstoin.
Dkhar told attendees at the DC Conference Hall that departments must push harder despite thin turnouts at awareness drives. He pointed to West Khasi Hills as a district ripe for growth in agriculture, tourism, and sericulture. Improved roads could unlock this value, he said. He specifically tagged the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana as a program needing better beneficiary identification. The minister also warned that the mainstream press must act as a filter for truth. He said, "Journalists must go beyond official announcements and examine whether government schemes are actually reaching the intended beneficiaries."
West Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Hema Nayak wants more focus on stories from remote villages. She organized the event to drag hidden development successes out of the shadows. Journalists and influencers gathered to learn how to bridge that gap.
Princess Giri Rashir, a journalist from EastMojo, led a technical session on regional reporting. She noted that mobile phones now dictate the news cycle. Credible reporting remains the only way to verify facts behind viral posts. Officials from various departments, including Agriculture, Fisheries, and PWD, provided data on their current schemes. The event wrapped up with a strategy session on improving communication in the state's most isolated areas.
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