sikkim press club
Courtesy: Sikkim Express

The Press Club of Sikkim on Tuesday observed its 16th foundation day with various programmes.

The highlight of the programme was presentation of the Kanchenjunga Kalam Purashkar, an annual award constituted by Press Club of Sikkim which was presented to senior journalist Khagendra Mani Pradhan.

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State Agriculture Minister Somnath Poudyal and Information and Public Relations Minister A K Ghatani jointly presented the award to Pradhan’s son Ananta during the celebration at Janta Bhawan in Gangtok.

The award recognizes the contribution of senior journalists towards the field of journalism in the State.

Pradhan, who has rendered more than three decades of service to journalism in Sikkim, is suffering from neuro paralysis and is confined to a wheelchair since last year.

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Despite his handicap, he continues to contribute as a freelance journalist working from his home at Burtuk near Gangtok.

Pradhan through an audio-visual message expressed his gratitude to the Press Club of Sikkim for honouring him.

On the occasion, the annual ‘Lagansheel Yuva Patrakar Samman’ constituted by the Press Club of Sikkim was conferred to young journalist Nirmal Mangar, the founding editor of social media news page ‘Sikkim Chronicle’.

The Press Club of Sikkim also felicitated woman journalist Hema Sharma and media house support staff Dil Bahadur Chettri in recognition of their services.

Addressing the gathering, minister Poudyal said media is a bridge between the policy makers and the public.

Media has an important role to play in a democracy, he said congratulating the awardees.

I&PR minister Ghatani, in his address, congratulated the awardees and acknowledged their contributions towards the growth of media in Sikkim.