Other States - Rajasthan   

PR professionals told to take care of social responsibilities

– Photo: Rohit Jain Paras

For a social cause: A candlelight march organised by the Public Relations Society of India in Jaipur on Saturday for the earthquake and tsunami-affected people of Japan.

JAIPUR: Public relations practitioners from across the country who gathered here over the weekend emphasised the significance of creating transparency and evolving accountability in institutions to win public confidence and called upon PR professionals to get the benefit of speed facilitated by modern information and communication technology.

The occasion was the national executive convention of the Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) titled “Challenges before public relations”, which was inaugurated by Rajasthan Minister of State for Information and PR Ashok Bairwa.

The event was accompanied by a cartoon exhibition and a candlelight march.

PRSI national president Ajit Pathak said during the series of events that the fast speed of IT had thrown up before the PR professionals a new challenge of “getting visibility”, as information is now relayed instantly and even a slight delay makes the information “stale, redundant and irrelevant”.

Dr. Pathak said delayed information, despite being significant for the target groups, often does not get adequate attention in the media because the space is occupied by the latest facts and figures which too are constantly updated. Mr. Bairwa said the PR practitioners should take care of their social responsibilities while performing professional duties.

“You act as a bridge between your institution and the people. This bridge should be strong [enough] to sustain the pulls and pressures from different quarters.”

Mr. Bairwa pointed out that the State Government's Information and PR Department was engaged in presenting the works for people's welfare in the right perspective and empowering the people at large with accurate information to make correct assessments and put forth their demands.

Rishi Kapoor, marketing head of Fortis Hospital – the co-organiser of the convention – said the information conveyed in a helpful framework is very important for the health sector as it creates awareness about diseases, complications and new research and treatment available at different places.

PRSI members and communication luminaries from across the country took out a candlelight march to express solidarity with the people of Japan struck recently by the triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear emergency.

Mr. Bairwa flagged off the march at Fortis Healthcare Centre.Congress leader Rajiv Arora and PRSI Jaipur chapter chairman Kalyan Singh Kothari were among the participants.

The marchers observed silence and prayed for the victims of the tragedy at the concluding point at Anu Vibha Kendra.

Exhibition

An exhibition at Jawahar Kala Kendra titled “Empower citizens with information”, organised by the Association of Small and Medium Newspapers, displayed the cartoons drawn by Dr. Pathak, serving with the Indian Oil Corporation, presenting the concept of right to information in a creative manner.

The cartoons, published in several magazines and newspapers, highlighted the scope for using RTI in public life as an instrument to check corruption.

Dr. Pathak said the PR professionals could play a significant role in generating awareness about the RTI Act and encourage people to use it effectively.

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