POST-INDEPENDENCE PRESS: INDEPENDENCE AND RISE OF NEWSPAPERS

The post-Independence press refers to the development of newspapers and journalism in India after the country gained independence on 15 August 1947. Independence brought major changes to the Indian press. Newspapers were no longer mainly concerned with the freedom struggle against British rule. Their role expanded to include nation-building, informing citizens, promoting democracy, discussing social issues and holding governments accountable.

The period after Independence saw a steady growth in the number, circulation and influence of newspapers. Both English and Indian-language newspapers became important sources of information for the people.

Press at the Time of Independence: At the time of Independence, India already had a well-established newspaper tradition. Newspapers had played an important role in the freedom movement. Leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar used newspapers and journals to spread political and social ideas.

After Independence, however, the press had to take on a new responsibility. Instead of fighting colonial rule, newspapers now had to contribute to the development of an independent and democratic India.

Freedom of the Press: The Indian Constitution provided an important foundation for press freedom.

Article 19(1)(a) guarantees citizens the freedom of speech and expression. Although the Constitution does not separately mention "freedom of the press", press freedom is understood as part of freedom of speech and expression.

This allowed newspapers to:

• Express opinions and criticism
• Report on government activities
• Discuss political and social issues
• Inform citizens about important events
• Provide a platform for public debate
• Question those in power

However, press freedom is not absolute. Reasonable restrictions can be imposed in areas such as national security, public order, defamation and other matters specified by the Constitution.

Rise of Newspapers: The decades after Independence witnessed a significant expansion of the Indian newspaper industry.

Several factors contributed to this growth:

a) Growth of Literacy: As education expanded, more people learned to read and write. This created a larger audience for newspapers.

b) Expansion of Democracy: India's democratic system created a strong demand for political information. Elections, Parliament, government policies and public debates became important newspaper subjects.

c) Growth of Regional Languages: Newspapers began to reach readers in their mother tongues. Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and other language newspapers expanded rapidly.

d) Improved Printing Technology: New printing technologies made newspaper production faster, cheaper and more efficient. Improvements in printing presses, paper production and distribution helped newspapers reach larger audiences.

e) Better Distribution Networks: The development of railways, roads, postal services and transport systems helped newspapers reach readers in towns and villages.

f) Increasing Advertising: The growth of Indian industries and businesses created a larger advertising market. Advertising became an important source of revenue for newspapers.

Growth of the Vernacular and Regional Press

One of the most important developments after Independence was the rapid growth of the Indian-language press.

While English newspapers continued to have considerable influence, regional-language newspapers reached a much larger section of the population.

For example:

• Marathi: Lokmat, Sakal, Loksatta
• Hindi: Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Amar Ujala
• Gujarati: Gujarat Samachar, Sandesh
• Bengali: Ananda Bazar Patrika
• Malayalam: Malayala Manorama, Mathrubhumi
• Tamil: Dina Thanthi, Dinamalar

These newspapers discussed not only national politics but also local issues, regional culture, education, agriculture, employment and social problems.

Development of the Marathi Press

The Marathi press had a strong tradition even before Independence. After 1947, it expanded considerably.

Newspapers such as Sakal, Loksatta and Lokmat became important sources of information for Marathi-speaking readers.

The Marathi press played an important role in reporting:

• Maharashtra politics
• The Samyukta Maharashtra Movement
• State formation in 1960
• Farmers' issues
• Workers' movements
• Education and employment
• Marathi culture and literature
• Urban and rural development

The growth of newspapers in Maharashtra helped create a strong connection between local issues and public opinion.

Newspapers and Nation-Building: After Independence, newspapers were expected to contribute to the process of nation-building.

They reported on major national programmes such as:

• Five-Year Plans
• Industrial development
• Agricultural development
• Education
• Public health
• Scientific development
• Poverty reduction
• Social reforms

Newspapers also helped citizens understand the functioning of Parliament, elections, political parties and government institutions.

Newspapers as a Watchdog: An important role of the post-Independence press was to act as a watchdog of democracy.

Newspapers investigated and reported:

• Corruption
• Misuse of power
• Administrative failures
• Social injustice
• Human rights violations
• Political controversies

Through investigative journalism and editorial criticism, the press could question governments and powerful individuals.

Press and Social Reform: The post-Independence press also contributed to social change.

Newspapers highlighted issues such as:

• Caste discrimination
• Gender inequality
• Dowry
• Poverty
• Illiteracy
• Child labour
• Rural development
• Women's rights

They also provided space for debates about changing Indian society.

Press During the Emergency: The Emergency of 1975–77 was an important period in the history of the Indian press.

During the Emergency, the government imposed press censorship. Newspapers had to follow restrictions regarding what they could publish.

The period demonstrated the importance of an independent press in a democracy. Some newspapers resisted censorship, while others complied with government restrictions.

The Emergency became an important lesson about the relationship between press freedom and political power.

Growth of Newspaper Chains: After Independence, several newspaper groups expanded their operations and established multiple editions.

Newspaper organizations began publishing from different cities to reach wider audiences.

This resulted in:

• Larger circulation
• Multiple city editions
• Greater advertising revenue
• Professionalization of journalism
• Increased competition among newspapers

Newspapers gradually became not only instruments of public information but also large commercial media organizations.

Changing Nature of Newspaper Journalism: The post-Independence newspaper gradually moved beyond political news.

Newspapers began providing separate sections for:

Section	Content
National	National political and social news
International	News from around the world
Business	Economy, companies and markets
Sports	Cricket and other sports
Entertainment	Films, television and celebrities
Lifestyle	Food, fashion, health and travel
Education	Careers, examinations and education
Local	City and neighbourhood news

This made newspapers more attractive to a wider audience.

Professionalisation of Journalism: Journalism became increasingly professional after Independence.

Journalists received formal training through journalism and mass communication institutions. Newsrooms became more organized, with separate roles for reporters, editors, photographers and sub-editors.

The development of professional journalism helped establish standards related to:

• Accuracy
• Objectivity
• Verification
• News values
• Editorial responsibility
• Ethical reporting

The Press Council of India, established in 1966, also became an important institution concerned with maintaining standards of the press and protecting press freedom.

Competition from Electronic and Digital Media: From the 1980s onwards, newspapers faced competition from television and radio. Later, the arrival of the Internet, smartphones and social media transformed the newspaper industry further.

Newspapers began creating:

• E-papers
• News websites
• Mobile applications
• Social media pages
• Digital video content
• Podcasts and other multimedia content

Thus, the Indian newspaper has evolved from a printed publication into a multimedia news organization.

The post-Independence period was a major phase in the development of the Indian press. Newspapers expanded because of increasing literacy, democracy, regional-language readership, improved technology, advertising and better distribution.

The press gradually changed from an instrument of the freedom struggle into an important institution of democracy. It informed citizens, encouraged public debate, supported social reform and acted as a watchdog over those in power.

The rise of regional newspapers, particularly the Marathi press, further strengthened the connection between local communities, regional identity and national public life. Even in the digital age, the values of press freedom, responsible journalism and public accountability remain central to the role of newspapers in India. 

SHG AND SHG2

Self Help Groups 

Self-help Groups (SHGs) are informal associations of people who come together to find ways to improve their living conditions. They are generally self-governed and peer-controlled.

People of similar economic and social backgrounds associate generally with the help of any NGO or government agency and try to resolve their issues, and improve their living conditions.

The emergence of Self Help Groups – Origin and Development  in India

• The origin of SHGs in India can be traced back to the establishment of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in 1972.
• Even before, there were small efforts at self-organising. For example, in 1954, the Textile Labour Association (TLA) of Ahmedabad formed its women’s wing in order to train the women belonging to families of mill workers in skills such as sewing, knitting, etc.
• Ela Bhatt, who formed SEWA, organised poor and self-employed women workers such as weavers, potters, hawkers, and others in the unorganised sector, with the objective of enhancing their incomes.
• NABARD, in 1992, formed the SHG Bank Linkage Project, which is today the world’s largest microfinance project.
• From 1993 onwards, NABARD, along with the Reserve Bank of India, allowed SHGs to open savings bank accounts in banks.
• The Swarn Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana was introduced in 1999 by GOI with the intention of promoting self-employment in rural areas through formation and skilling of such groups. This evolved into the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) in 2011.

SHG 2 

Despite the success of the SHG model, the impact of SHG programs on the lives of the poor has been limited. NABARD proposed a revised form of SHG referred to as SHG 2 in a circular in March 2012. One of the changes was to enable Joint Liability groups (JLGs) within SHGs to facilitate higher loan amounts to group members who wanted to finance their individual economic activity. Another innovative change was allowing voluntary savings. This helped SHGs to save over and above the compulsory amount, thereby providing an opportunity to the group members to graduate from community to individual banking. 

Other revisions proposed was bringing modifications in credit products by making them purpose neutral, improving risk mitigating mechanisms to ensure the sustainability of SHG and building second tier institutions that can help promote, finance and train SHGs. 

Evolution Stages of Self Help Groups in India

Every Self-help group usually goes through 3 stages of evolution stated below:

1. Formation of group
2. Funding or Formation of Capital
3. Development of required skills to boost income generation for the group

Many self-help groups are formed with the assistance of Self- help to promote agencies.

The various types of Self-help promoting agencies are stated below:

1. Non-governmental agencies
2. Government
3. Poverty management programmes
4. State & commercial banks
5. Microfinance institutions
6. SHG Federations
7. SHG leaders/Entrepreneurs

Functions of Self Help Groups

• They try to build the functional capacity of poor and marginalised sections of society in the domain of employment and income-generating activities.
• They offer collateral-free loans to sections of people that generally find it hard to get loans from banks.
• They also resolve conflicts via mutual discussions and collective leadership.
• They are an important source of microfinance services to the poor.
• They act as a go-through for formal banking services to reach the poor, especially in rural areas.
• They also encourage the habit of saving among the poor.

Need for Self Help Groups

• One of the chief reasons for rural poverty is the lack of access or limited access to credit and financial services.
• The Rangarajan Committee Report highlighted four major reasons for lack of financial inclusion in India. They are:
  • Inability to give collateral security
  • Weak credit absorption capacity
  • The insufficient reach of institutions
  • Weak community network
• It is being recognised that one of the most important elements of credit linkage in rural areas is the prevalence of sound community networks in Indian villages.
• SHGs play a vital role in giving credit access to the poor and this is extremely crucial in poverty alleviation.
• They also play a great role in empowering women because SHGs help women from economically weaker sections build social capital.
• Financial independence through self-employment opportunities also helps improve other development factors such as literacy levels, improved healthcare and better family planning.

Advantages of Self Help Groups

• Financial Inclusion – SHGs incentivise banks to lend to poor and marginalised sections of society because of the assurance of returns.
• Voice to marginalised – SHGs have given a voice to the otherwise underrepresented and voiceless sections of society.
• Social Integrity – SHGs help eradicate many social ills such as dowry, alcoholism, early marriage, etc.
• Gender Equality – By empowering women SHGs help steer the nation towards true gender equality.
• Pressure Groups – SHGs act as pressure groups through which pressure can be mounted on the government to act on important issues.
• Enhancing the efficiency of government schemes – SHGs help implement and improve the efficiency of government schemes. They also help reduce corruption through social audits.
• Alternate source of livelihood/employment – SHGs help people earn their livelihood by providing vocational training, and also help improve their existing source of livelihood by offering tools, etc. They also help ease the dependency on agriculture.
• Impact on healthcare and housing – Financial inclusion due to SHGs has led to better family planning, reduced rates of child mortality, enhanced maternal health and also helped people fight diseases better by way of better nutrition, healthcare facilities and housing.
• Banking literacy – SHGs encourage people to save and promote banking literacy among the rural segment.

Problems of Self Help Groups (SHGs)

• Need for extending this idea into the poorest families, which is not necessarily the case at present.
• Patriarchal mindset prevailing which prevents many women from coming forward.
• There are about 1.2 lakh branches of banks in rural areas as opposed to 6 lakh villages in the country. There is a need to expand banking amenities further.
• Sustainability and the quality of operations of such groups have been questionable.
• There is a need for monitoring cells to be established for SHGs across the country.
• The SHGs work on mutual trust. The deposits are not safe or secure.

Way Forward for Effective Self-Help Groups

1. The Government should create a supportive environment for the growth and development of the SHG movement. It should play the role of a facilitator and promoter.
2. SHG Movement should be expanded to Credit Deficient Areas of the Country – such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, States of the North-East.
3. Financial infrastructure should be expanded (including that of NABARD) by adopting extensive IT-enabled communication and capacity building measures in these States.
4. Extension of Self-Help Groups to Urban/Peri-Urban Areas – efforts should be made to increase income generation abilities of the urban poor as there has been a rapid rise in urbanization and many people remain financially excluded.
5. Government functionaries should treat the poor and marginalized as viable and responsible customers and as possible entrepreneurs.
6. SHG monitoring cell should be established in every state. The cell should have direct links with district and block level monitoring system. The cell should collect both quantitative and qualitative information.
7. Commercial Banks and NABARD in collaboration with the State Government need to continuously innovate and design new financial products for these groups to meet their needs.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION I NOTES

 Business Communication – I Notes 

FYBAF/BMS/BBI/BFM 

Semester I 

Unit 1 : Theory of Communication 

1. Concept of Communication : 
Meaning, Definition, Process, Need, Feedback 
Emergence of Communication as a key concept in the Corporate and Global World 
Impact of technological advancements on Communication 

2. Channels and Objectives of Communication : 
Channels : 
Formal and Informal - Vertical, Horizontal, Diagonal, Grapevine 
Objectives of Communication : 
Information, Advice, Order and Instruction, Persuasion, Motivation, Education, Warning, and Boosting the Moral of Employees 
(A brief introduction to these objectives to be given) 

3. Methods and Modes of Communication : 
Methods : 
Verbal and Nonverbal 
Characteristics of Verbal Communication 
Characteristics of Non-verbal Communication 
Business Etiquette 
Modes : 
Telephone and SMS Communication 
(General Introduction to Telegram to be given) 
Facsimile Communication [Fax] 
Computers and E-communication 
Video and Satellite Conferencing 

Unit 2 : Obstacles to Communication in Business World 
1. Problems in Communication/Barriers to Communication : 
Physical / Semantic or Language / Socio-Cultural / Psychological Barriers, 
Ways to Overcome these Barriers 
2. Listening : 
Importance of Listening Skills  Types of Listening
Cultivating Good Listening Skills 
3. Introduction to Business Ethics 
Concept and Interpretation 

Importance of Business Ethics 
Personal Integrity at the workplace 
Business Ethics and Media 
Computer Ethics 
Corporate Social Responsibility 
- Surrogate Advertising 
- Patents and Intellectual Property Rights 
- Dumping of Medical/E-waste 
- Human Rights Violations and Discrimination on the basis of gender, race, caste, religion, appearance and sexual orientation at the workplace 
- Piracy 
- Insurance 
- Child Labour 

Unit 3 : Business Correspondence 
1. Theory of Business Letter Writing : 
Parts, Structure, Layouts - Full Block, Modified Block, Semi-Block, Principles of Effective Letter Writing 
Principles of Effective E-mail Writing 
2. Personnel Correspondence : 
Statement of Purpose 
Job Application Letter and Resume 
Letter of Acceptance of Job Offer, Letter of Resignation 

Unit 4 : Language and Writing Skills 
1. Commercial Terms used in Business Communication 
2. Paragraph Writing : 
Developing an idea, using appropriate linking devices, etc. 
Cohesion and Coherence, self-editing, etc. 
[Interpretation of technical data, Composition on a given situation, a short informal report, etc.]