BHUBANESWAR: Governor of Chhattisgarh Biswabhusan Harichandan on Thursday said Odia daily ‘Samaj’ played a key role in uniting the people of Odisha during the freedom struggle. Addressing a function to mark the 104th foundation day of ‘Samaj’ as chief guest, Harichandan said Pandit Gopabandhu Das had taken the lead in the non-violent agitation against the British. He said the newspaper had awakened people towards truth and exposed the misrule of the day to provide justice to the downtrodden and poor.
Harichandan stressed impartial and fact-based news and said baseless news always creates confusion. “Media should always tell the truth and reflect the problems of people,” he added. Addressing the function as chief speaker, and advisor to the state government Subroto Bagchi said Samaj, established by Pandit Das towards the end of the First World War has now developed into a multi-faceted establishment.
The daily has also provided service to the people and reached out to them with assistance during natural disasters. Editor of Samaj Pramod Kumar Mohapatra gave the welcome address while chief manager Shibarama Mishra gave details of the welfare measures implemented by the institution. President of the Odisha unit of Lok Sevak Mandal and Samaj publisher Niranjan Rath also spoke.