Journalists from across Jharkhand were felicitated at the Media Excellence Award Ceremony 2025, organised by the Ranchi Press Club on Sunday. The event, held in Ranchi’s Lalpur area, was graced by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman and veteran journalist Harivansh as the chief guest. Assembly Speaker Rabindranath Mahato, Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore, and Padma Shri Balbir Dutt also attended the function.
Senior journalist Srinivas, formerly with Prabhat Khabar, received the Lifetime Achievement Award along with a cash prize of ₹51,000. Other awardees included Shakeel Akhtar (Best Reporting – Print, Prabhat Khabar), Rajkumar Singh(Best Reporting – Electronic, Samachar Wala), Manik Bose (Best Photography – Print, Dainik Bhaskar), and Rakesh Tiwari (Best Video Journalist – Aaj Tak), each receiving ₹25,000. Due to health reasons, Shakeel Akhtar could not attend the event.
In the Outstanding Category, Sonali Das, Brajesh Rai, Chandan Mishra, Dilip Srivastava, Neelu, and Shyam Kishore were honoured, while Gauri was recognised as an emerging talent in journalism.
Addressing the gathering, Harivansh praised the initiative to honour journalists and spoke about the growing role of Artificial Intelligence in various fields. “If AI replaces 40 lakh jobs, it will also create 60 lakh new opportunities. What matters is how prepared we are to adapt,” he said.
Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore appreciated the organisers and suggested that the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly should also institute an award for journalists. Responding to the suggestion, Speaker Rabindranath Mahato announced that an annual Assembly award for journalists will soon be introduced.
Padma Shri Balbir Dutt lauded the effort and encouraged young journalists to learn from their seniors. RBS Vaidik Trust Chairman Nityanand Shukla expressed gratitude to the Ranchi Press Club for its partnership and said the trust would continue the initiative in future.
The awardees were selected by a jury comprising former Information Commissioner Baijnath Mishra, retired IAS officer Ranendra, former Ranchi University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ajit Sinha, Ranchi Press Club President Surendra Soren, and RBS Vaidik Trust Chief Trustee Nityanand Shukla.
The event also saw the presence of prominent figures from the political, social, and corporate sectors.