New Delhi:

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar today said at the NDTV Indian of the Year Awards that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) provides reprieve to the persecuted, and India has been a victim of persecution for centuries. A gathering place for persecuted communities.

Delivering a keynote address at the event, he said it was a joyful occasion as the flagship awards had been reinstated. “I’m happy that it’s back on track and so is our barat,” he said. Congratulating the winners, the Vice President said, “This award will inspire many to join us in our marathon march for Viksit Bharat by 2047.”

Talking about the role of media in shaping public opinion, he referred to the controversy surrounding the Center’s implementation of the CAA four years after it was approved by Parliament. Opposition parties questioned the timing of the move – weeks before a general election.

“There is a high-decibel debate going on over the CAA. It is clear that the CAA will not take away citizenship from any citizen. The bill is a reprieve for the persecuted people who have been living in this country for decades. If you go through it mentally, India has always been a place for those who have been persecuted,” he said.

He said the media cannot be a platform for spreading untenable information. “It damages the fabric of our democracy, it damages individual reputations, it damages institutions. If you start disseminating information without due diligence, it can damage the fabric of our economy and our society,” he said.

He stressed that the media urgently needs to establish mechanisms to curb the spread of misinformation, “The media cannot be a registered, recognized or unrecognized political party. Some people in the media take advantage of decision-making power. The media should not be a power broker.” It’s responsible.”

Dhankar said India is no longer a sleeping giant but is on the cusp of huge possibilities. He said that in the past few years, China’s economy has achieved unprecedented growth and has grown from a member of the “Fragile Five” to one of the top five economies in the world. “We had exponential growth that was the envy of the world. Imagine where we are now,” he said.

He said that India has also emerged as a peacemaker for global harmony.

Talking about the country’s technological advancement, he said the country is witnessing widespread digital penetration, which is also changing life in tier-II cities. “Gone are the days when we used to wait for the West to develop technology. India is now at the center of harvesting this technology.”