On the 9th edition of the Sadin-Pratidin Group ‘Achiever Awards 2023’, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs, Smriti Irani, praised Jayanta Baruah, the Chairman of Sadin-Pratidin Group and Editor of Asomiya Pratidin daily, for recognizing the achievers, particularly the young people who have made significant contributions and brought honors to the nation and state of Assam through their field of expertise.
Addressing the gathering here at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati, Irani said, “It wasn't only a newspaper, a digital engagement, or a women's magazine called 'Nandini' that piqued my interest in Jayanta Baruah, his life, and the legacy of Pratidin. But when I asked him what motivated him to commit to the nation a bilingual Braille dictionary (Assamese and English), I received no answer from him, only a smile, which is unusual for someone involved in journalism. That smile might be pondered on for a variety of reasons; some may call it mischief, while I would describe it as Jayanta Baruah's humility. That is what I hope that the state deserves and will continue to get many more humble souls that will dedicate themselves to enriching the state and pray tribute to the state’s legacy.”
Irani added, “During my speech to my colleagues in parliament, I had the privilege of quoting our former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who said, "BHARAT KOI BHUMI KA TUKRA NAHI HAI, EK JITA JAGTAH RASHTRA PURUSH HAI (India is not a piece of land but a living entity)". I seem to recall him also saying, "YEH WADAN KI BHUMI HAI AUR ABHINADAN KI BHUMI HAI (This is a land of greetings and a land of worship)". By honoring a number of people for their achievements in their respective sectors and recognizing greatness, the Pratidin Group has demonstrated today why the country is known as a place of greetings and reverence.”
Irani highlighted Viksit Bharat and mentioned how Prime Minister Narendra Modi was made fun of in the Parliament in 2014 for his ideas on digital democracy.
Nevertheless, the Prime Minister maintained the faith of the rural populace, which is credited with the establishment of digital democracy in the modern world.
“By 2023, our UPI transactions will have surpassed 100 billion, and transactions from international credit card firms such as Mastercard and Visa will be overtaken by this simple UPI transaction made by the ordinary Indian. When the Prime Minister stated, "Can we ensure that no citizen is left behind in a digital democracy?" Today, we can proudly claim that India has the most bank accounts opened anywhere in the world, an achievement that has only been reached by India, where 500 million bank accounts have been opened,” the Union Minister added further.
