All on climate change

Pothashang News Service: Imphal, March 7, 2019: The Manipur state directorate of environment declared to award the Manipur State Level Media Fellowship programme on Climate Change Reporting for the current year to Kshetri Meghajit of Naharolgi Thoudang and Laishram Shamungou Singh of The Sangai Express for open category, and Babie Shirin of Imphal Free Press for women journalist category.

The announcement was made on the opening day of a 2-day state level Media Workshop on Climate Change Reporting held at Sangai Hall, Hotel Imphal, today.

The workshop which is jointly organised by Centre for Media Studies, New Delhi  and Khelen Thokchom Trust Manipur under the aegis of directorate of environment will conclude tomorrow in Bishnupur district.

The award fellows will receive a sum of Rs 50,000 in installment.

The directorate of evironment has extended the deadline for application for the hill journalists and electronics till March 31.

Forest and environment mnister Th. Shyamkumar said there is a need for a joint collaboration of various stakeholders including the department officials to combat the challenge of climate change issue.

India alone cannot combat the issue climate change issue and all the countries should take up the challenge simultaneously. The country have witnessed multiple calamities which is a sign of the alarming environmental degradation, he added.

Manipur has lost number of water-bodies in the years. The conservation process needs to begin at the grassroots level such as planting trees and maintaining it at educational institutes, hospitals, local clubs, etc. Holding such workshop will surely pave a way for mass awareness and insure full cooperation from the side of the government to the media persons in taking up the challenge, Shyamkumar said.

Director of the directorate of environment Dr. Y. Nabachandra Singh said the directorate is giving media fellowship awarded to the media persons for studying and reporting on the climate change issue. He opined that the studies done by the media persons will be cooperated in the second version of the state Action Plan on climate change.

Senior journalist and editors of the state talked on the experience and of reporting on climate change and gave suggestions to minimise environmental degradation.