Latest news with #Guwahati-based
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Assam minister Jayanta Malla Baruah apologises for remark against journalist
Silchar: Assam minister Jayanta Malla Baruah on Sunday issued an apology for his controversial remark against a Guwahati-based journalist on Friday that had sparked widespread backlash. Assam minister Jayanta Malla Baruah's controversial remark against a Guwahati-based journalist on Friday had sparked widespread backlash. (@jayanta_malla) Baruah, who handles the public health engineering department, took to social media to apologise, maintaining that his words were not meant to insult the media at large. 'Our family's association with the media are very old. My father worked as a correspondent for 22 years with Dainik Asom. From childhood, I have had deep respect for journalists,' he wrote. 'In a moment of frustration, I said something I should not have. While I meant it for one individual, I understand the entire journalist community felt hurt — and that pains me,' he added. During a media interaction at the Gauhati Press Club on Friday, a journalist reportedly asked Baruah a question, to which he allegedly replied saying he will not speak to a 'tolor shrenir manush' (lower-class person) and will answer when 'his owner' asks a question. This triggered outrage among media bodies, including the Media Association of Assam (MAA) and the Gauhati Press Club. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma apologised on Baruah's behalf on Saturday. 'No one has the right to insult them. I haven't heard what Jayanta Malla Baruah has said, but if he has said anything inappropriate, he should apologise. I will ask him to do so. And if anything wrong has happened, I apologise too,' Sarma said. The Gauhati Press Club issued a statement calling Baruah's comment 'undignified and unacceptable' and urged journalists to boycott the minister until he issued a public apology. 'Questioning the credibility of a scribe and hurling insults is undignified. If ministers don't want to be questioned, they should avoid inviting the media,' Gauhati Press Club president Susmita Goswami said. Baruah, however, alleged that a senior editor from the media group in question is trying to destroy his public image using the incident as a pretext. He urged people to watch the full video clip of the press conference to judge the interaction themselves. Defending Baruah, cabinet minister Pijush Hazarika said that the term used by Baruah might have been a reference to the journalist's young age or experience, and not to his social background. 'He was referring to the age of the journalist, not their social standing,' Hazarika said.
Economic Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Assam journos protest minister's 'derogatory words'; CM Sarma apologises for any insult
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Journalists across Assam on Saturday protested the use of derogatory words against a local television channel reporter by a state cabinet minister, even as Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tendered an apology for any defamatory statement by his Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah had on Friday refused to answer a question posed by the reporter of a local news satellite channel, with which the BJP leader has been locked in a feud over allocation of government dairy promotion scheme funds and buying of Gir cows from a state-funded project in the name of a firm owned by his at that press conference, had said that he would not answer to "low-class" people like the reporter and would respond to the owner of the channel, 'Pratidin Time'.Guwahati-based journalists participated in a protest organised by the Gauhati Press Club (GPC), condemning such recurring incidents of verbal insult of scribes by politicians of different to the latest instance, the protesting journalists demanded an apology from the minister and assurance from all quarters of no further recurrence of such abuse of media by journalists were organised in different parts of the state, including Sivasagar, Samaguri and Dibrugarh as journalists wore black badges and raised slogans against the for his reaction to Baruah's statement, Sarma said, "If he has said anything derogatory to any journalist, he should apologise. I will myself tell him to do so as journalists are not part of our political feuds.""I also apologise for it, though I haven't heard what he had said," the chief minister maintained that if Baruah had said anything bad, it must have been "a slip of the tongue" as he himself comes from humble beginnings."You (journalists) know him well. He is himself from common or humble roots. We all are," Sarma to spats between the ruling party and some media houses of the state, Sarma said, "Owners of media houses and journalists are different. Journalists are revered... if we say something about the owners, journalists should not interfere in it.""Media can criticise us, but don't take blame for your owners," he added, directing the comment to the chief minister said that media house owners have diverse business interests and they may face action for lapses or breaking the law in these also, but it should be not projected as the person is being "targeted" due to his media that media house owners have high incomes from various sources like government contracts, Sarma said the journalists employed by them should also be paid well."Journalists here are paid the least. They don't have their own house. When anyone falls ill, they come to me seeking help. I am always happy to help, but the owners should also give them at least Rs 10 lakh," he claimed that the situation of district and rural area correspondents is even worse as they are still paid on per news basis."The rural journalists tell me that they will be paid about Rs 100 for every news that they file and is used. That's why I always give byte to them so that their news is used and their payment can be assured," Sarma chief minister also advocated for the fixation of minimum pay for journalists and eight-hour shifts for journalists.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Assam journos protest minister's 'derogatory words'; CM Sarma apologises for any insult
Journalists across Assam on Saturday protested the use of derogatory words against a local television channel reporter by a state cabinet minister, even as Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tendered an apology for any defamatory statement by his colleague. State Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah had on Friday refused to answer a question posed by the reporter of a local news satellite channel, with which the BJP leader has been locked in a feud over allocation of government dairy promotion scheme funds and buying of Gir cows from a state-funded project in the name of a firm owned by his wife. Baruah, at that press conference, had said that he would not answer to "low-class" people like the reporter and would respond to the owner of the channel, 'Pratidin Time'. Guwahati-based journalists participated in a protest organised by the Gauhati Press Club (GPC), condemning such recurring incidents of verbal insult of scribes by politicians of different parties. Referring to the latest instance, the protesting journalists demanded an apology from the minister and assurance from all quarters of no further recurrence of such abuse of media persons. Live Events Protests by journalists were organised in different parts of the state, including Sivasagar, Samaguri and Dibrugarh as journalists wore black badges and raised slogans against the minister. Asked for his reaction to Baruah's statement, Sarma said, "If he has said anything derogatory to any journalist, he should apologise. I will myself tell him to do so as journalists are not part of our political feuds." "I also apologise for it, though I haven't heard what he had said," the chief minister added. Sarma maintained that if Baruah had said anything bad, it must have been "a slip of the tongue" as he himself comes from humble beginnings. "You (journalists) know him well. He is himself from common or humble roots. We all are," Sarma said. Referring to spats between the ruling party and some media houses of the state, Sarma said, "Owners of media houses and journalists are different. Journalists are revered... if we say something about the owners, journalists should not interfere in it." "Media can criticise us, but don't take blame for your owners," he added, directing the comment to the journalists. The chief minister said that media house owners have diverse business interests and they may face action for lapses or breaking the law in these also, but it should be not projected as the person is being "targeted" due to his media investment. Claiming that media house owners have high incomes from various sources like government contracts, Sarma said the journalists employed by them should also be paid well. "Journalists here are paid the least. They don't have their own house. When anyone falls ill, they come to me seeking help. I am always happy to help, but the owners should also give them at least Rs 10 lakh," he said. He claimed that the situation of district and rural area correspondents is even worse as they are still paid on per news basis. "The rural journalists tell me that they will be paid about Rs 100 for every news that they file and is used. That's why I always give byte to them so that their news is used and their payment can be assured," Sarma said. The chief minister also advocated for the fixation of minimum pay for journalists and eight-hour shifts for journalists.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Skeletal remains found from Lohit riverbank suspected to be of Assam dentist
Itanagar: The skeletal remains discovered along the Lohit riverbank in Arunachal Pradesh's Lohit district is suspected to be of Guwahati-based dentist Dr. Debanjib Kumar Sharma, who had gone missing from a riverside resort nearly a month ago. Dr. Debanjib Kumar Sharma. Police said they have collected DNA samples from Dr Sharma's mother and daughter and it will be sent to laboratories in either Guwahati or Kolkata for forensic analysis, sparking hopes of closure for the family. The remains were found on June 23 by local fishermen near Panbari, about 15-20 km from Parshuram Kund. Kumar had disappeared under mysterious circumstances on May 31 after checking into Tulow Resort, situated near the river. 'We've collected DNA samples from Dr Sharma's mother and daughter. They will be sent to laboratories in either Guwahati or Kolkata for forensic analysis,' said Lohit superintendent of police (SP) Thutan Jamba. 'It may take two to three months, but we are pushing for quicker results.' According to police, Sharma was last seen by resort staff around 8 am on the day of his disappearance, reportedly shifting rooms due to landslides and flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall. His belongings, including his motorcycle, were found intact—fueling confusion over his sudden disappearance. Rescue teams comprising police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were immediately pressed into service, but no trace was found until last week's grim discovery. Medical experts believe the skeletal remains could be about a month old, which matches the timeline of Sharma's disappearance. Yet, police are keeping all possibilities open. 'Preliminary inputs suggest accidental drowning due to high river levels,' Jamba said. 'However, we are not ruling out foul play.' 'We will continue the investigation based on forensic findings,' the SP added.
The Print
16-06-2025
- Business
- The Print
Recognition of work motivates employees to perform better, fosters loyalty, builds trust: Study
'At the heart of the study lies a powerful finding: recognition isn't just about acknowledgement, it is a strategic lever for trust, agility, innovation and retention. Organisations that build high-recognition cultures outperform their peers across multiple dimensions of employee and business outcomes,' the study mentioned. Guwahati-based Vantage Circle and Mumbai's 'Great Place To Work India' have jointly published a research report, 'The Recognition Effect: A Leadership Blueprint for Emotionally Intelligent Workplaces', which uncovers how recognition of efforts, when done right, becomes a transformative force for workplace culture and performance. Guwahati, Jun 16 (PTI) Due recognition of work by a company always motivates its employees to perform better, builds trust and gives them a sense of belonging to the organisation, a study by two HR technology firms said. In such a scenario, 91 per cent of employees surveyed feel motivated, 94 per cent say their organisation is a great place to work, and an equally high percentage affirms that their companies deliver excellent customer services, it added. 'Nearly all respondents in such environments also associate their organisation with innovation and express a strong intent to stay,' the paper stated. The research also brings to light how recognition of work is experienced across gender, generations, roles and tenure — signalling the need for more inclusive approaches. Commenting on the findings, Vantage Circle CEO and Co-founder Partha Neog said, 'The true power of recognition and rewards lies not in what is given, but in what is genuinely felt. When done with intention, recognition becomes more than a moment — it becomes a cultural signal that shows people they matter.' Due recognition of an employee's work builds trust, pride and belonging for the organisation, he said. 'We believe that a culture of recognition develops engaged and loyal employees. When organisations make employee appreciation an intentional and integral part of workplace culture, they unlock the true potential of their people,' Great Place To Work India Chief Executive Officer Balbir Singh said. Recognition in the workplace helps employees see that their company values them and their contributions, fostering loyalty and engagement, he added. 'Recognition programmes are a crucial part of the employee experience and a key driver of perceptions of fairness in the workforce, Singh said. PTI TR BDC This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
