Vartha Bharati to be awarded St Paul’s National Media Awards for Excellence in Digital Journalism
Bengaluru: In recognition of its contribution to the field of journalism, Vartha Bharati has been selected for the Excellence in Digital Journalism award at the St Pauls National Media Awards (SPNMA) 2025. The prestigious awards, which celebrate outstanding work in journalism, broadcasting, digital media, and publishing, were announced by St Pauls College, Bengaluru.
SPNMA is an initiative of the Society of St Paul, a global media-driven organization, and is part of St Paul’s 111-year-old legacy in media (1914–2025). The awards honour professionals who uphold journalistic ethics, foster public awareness, and make a lasting social impact through their work.
The awards Jury, in a press statement said, "This prestigious recognition honors Vartha Bharati's unwavering commitment to ethical journalism, factual reporting, and impactful digital storytelling. Vartha Bharati's contributions to Journalism have set a benchmark in responsible and insightful news coverage."
Vartha Bharati’s recognition in the Excellence in Digital Journalism category underscores its commitment to independent reporting, in-depth analysis, and ethical news dissemination. Over the years, the platform has built a reputation for delivering credible and impactful journalism, catering to a wide audience with its sharp reportage and digital presence.
The St Pauls National Media Awards 2025 is hosted by St Pauls College, Bengaluru, a premier institution dedicated to media education.
Dr. Prashanth Venugopal, Coordinator of SPNMA Awards and faculty member at the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, St Pauls College, announced the awardees in an official statement.
Alongside Vartha Bharati’s Abdussalam Puthige, several other prominent journalists and media professionals will also be acknowledged. Ravindra Bhat of Prajavani for Excellence in Print Journalism, Kiran H.V. of TV9 for Excellence in Crime Journalism, and Maruthi S.H. of News First Channel was for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism. The Excellence in Public Relations & Lifetime Achievement Award will be conferred upon M.B. Jayaram, while Bala Chauhan will be awarded for her work in Investigative Journalism. Other awardees include Girish Linganna for Science Communication, Aravind Gowda for CSR Communications, P.D. Sathish Chandra for Radio Communication, Prof. Shailashree B. for Media Education, Rashmi Rao for Podcasting, Chethan Kumar for Space and Defence Journalism, Sridevi Iyengar for Lifestyle & Entertainment Journalism, and Sunitha Rao for Health Communication.
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Govt using women's quota pretext to push delimitation: TMC
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New Delhi (PTI): The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday accused the government of using the pretext of early implementation of women's reservation law to "bulldoze" its "real agenda of delimitation".
The TMC said it has always supported women's reservation, but the government cannot "rush" through a bill that will "change the political map" of India based on the 2011 Census.
Parliament is set to meet from April 16 to 18 to consider bills to ensure the implementation of the 33 per cent quota in legislative bodies for women in the 2029 elections. It includes increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 816 seats, with 273 seats reserved for women, and amendments to the Delimitation Act to enable redrawing of constituencies.
In a post on X, TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien shared a video of his earlier speech on the Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, 2023 -- also known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam -- and underlined his party’s long-standing advocacy for women’s reservation.
He recalled that TMC chief Mamata Banerjee had raised the issue in Parliament as early as July 14, 1998.
Highlighting his party’s track record, O’Brien pointed to the proportion of women candidates fielded and elected by the TMC, stating that the party had given 41 per cent tickets to women in 2014 and currently has one of the highest shares of women MPs.
"Modi govt cannot rush through a bill in a special parliament session bang in the middle of Assembly Polls, a bill that will change the political map of India based on the 2011 census (data which is fifteen years old) in 2026 without greater discussion (sic)," TMC Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha Sagarika Ghose said on X.
"Mr Modi-Shah must be reminded: India is not a single-party democracy. Bulldozing and bullying is against the parliamentary spirit," she said.
In a post on X, TMC leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale accused the government of running a "fake and malicious agenda " claiming it wants “early reservations for women in Parliament”.
"In reality, Modi is using women as an excuse to bulldoze his real agenda of delimitation (which is redrawing boundaries of Lok Sabha & Assembly seats in states to benefit the BJP)," he alleged.
He said that at the time of passage of the bill on women's reservation in 2023, opposition parties had expressed concern that its implementation would be delayed, but the government had ignored them, and said it would happen after the Census in 2026.
"Now, suddenly, just when Bengal and Tamil Nadu are going to elections, Modi decides that delimitation will be done before the 2026 Census. Instead of conducting delimitation based on India’s actual population, the Modi government has come up with its own unknown formula," he said.
He questioned the connection between delimitation and women's reservation, and what is stopping the government from implementing it on the existing 543 seats without delimitation.
The Union Cabinet has cleared draft bills to operationalise the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The proposed changes include increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 816 seats, with 273 seats reserved for women.
The legislative package is expected to include a Constitution amendment bill to modify provisions of the Act, alongside amendments to the Delimitation Act to enable redrawing of constituencies in line with the expanded House strength.
Another bill is also likely to extend the implementation of the reservation framework to Union Territories with legislatures, including Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry.
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