Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday inaugurated first issue of 'Asom Barta', a government of Assam newspaper. The inaugration coincided with the first anniversary of the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led NDA government in the state.
The newspaper will be printed in four languages - Assamese, English, Hindi and Bengali (in the coming months) and will be distributed widely using various traditional and social media platforms.
According to news agency PTI, over 10,000 hard copies of 'Asom Barta' will be printed and delivered on a periodic basis to all state government offices at the district and block level and to eminent citizens across the country.
Besides the printed version, soft copies of the newspaper will initially be sent to one crore people via social media platforms and emails.
The newspaper, to be published under the aegis of the state Directorate of Information and Public Relation, will enable citizens to stay connected with the government and its policies, its editor Bishnu Kamal Bora said.
''Assam will be one of the first states in the country to launch its own newsletter and this is expected to bring a new benchmark in direct communication between the government and its citizens,'' Bora said.
The readers will be updated about the latest programmes and policies of the state government while citizens, intellectuals and freelance journalists will have the opportunity to provide constructive suggestions to the government, he said.
(With PTI inputs)
