NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar Monday proposed launching a communications university on the golden jubilee of the Indian Institute of Mass Communications in 2015.
Addressing the annual convocation of the institution here, Javadekar said he would post the suggestion of turning the IIMC, which has five regional branches, into a Communications University and invited suggestions from people on the proposal.
"We will seek the views and ideas of people on this. It will be posted on the Information and Broadcasting Ministry site so that we can launch it in every way during the golden jubilee celebrations," Javadekar announced to loud cheers from the crowd of young communication graduates.
He also said that the Narendra Modi government was for "participatory communication, which is a mission for the nation and therefore communication is very important for participatory democracy," he said.
Javadekar suggested that students could do a study on the recently-concluded election campaign in the two states of Maharashtra and Haryana and study the "democracy festival in all its aspects".
Javadekar said he is a "journalist by passion and also a politician by passion".
Referring to the poll results of Haryana, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged victorious, and Maharashtra where the BJP is the largest party, Javadekar said the elections are demonstrative of the fact that the people of India want change.
"People instead of voting by caste have for the first time voted for change," he said.
He also said that the media should remain independent and free, but "every freedom comes with responsibility".
He said more people are reading newspapers, citing as example that in villages more newspapers are being delivered, and that the social media is giving "minute by minute news".
The minister spoke of the need to abjure sensationalism.