Jaipur, Sep 27 : Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan on Friday said that the media plays an important role in building a developed India while inaugurating the National Media Conference organised at the headquarters of Brahma Kumaris Institute in Abu Road.

"The media is a powerful medium which provides information from different parts to the citizens of the country. That is why it is called the fourth pillar of democracy," the Union Minister said while addressing the national conference organised on the topic 'Spiritual Empowerment for a Healthy and Happy Society - Role of Media' in which more than one thousand journalists, editors, bureau chiefs, radio and web journalism from all over the country are participating.

The Union Minister said that India is a country full of diversity where there are many languages, cultures, and traditions.

'There is a need for the media to provide correct information to the citizens of the country sitting at the last end of the nation,' he said.

He said that in the era of information revolution and social media, today any person can play the role of a journalist and can write news and create literature.

However, with the expansion of technology, today, good news does not go viral as fast as wrong one, fake news goes viral.

'Journalists should first check the veracity of the news and then publish it. Creating a healthy and happy society is possible only by promoting good news. He said that the New Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill 2024 is being brought to stop the broadcast of misinformation.'

The Union Minister said that if a negative environment is being created in society today, then we need to think about what we are sending to society.

'To build a value-based society, we have to incorporate values in life,' he added.

Brahma Kumaris is an internationally renowned spiritual organisation spread all over the world, affiliated to the United Nations in consultative status for peacekeeping in the world. It is committed to the cause of moral and spiritual upliftment of mankind.

IT conducts a number of programmes all over the world to bring awareness to every cross-section of society in fulfilling the key objective of peace-giving through various wings.

/IANS