Gurgaon, Sept. 7 : Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Saturday called on the media to actively develop and promote a feeling of national consciousness, adding that its role in nation-building could never be underestimated. He also said that there was a need for the media to be seen as a balanced medium of opinion generation on issues of national import.

Hooda also announced a donation of Rs. 25 lakh to the National Media Centre in Gurgaon, as contribution for development of its institutional complex.

The complex, which has come up on 22 acres of land within the National Media Centreompound, has been set up with the objective of promoting institutional building in the fields of media, academics and culture.

Hooda said that he was happy to know that the media has come up with such an institution at this timely juncture. He said that the media has played a significant role in national development during the struggle for independence and its aftermath.

He, however, said that there were certain aspects in the field of journalism that needed to be changed for the betterment of the society. Among them, he said was the competitive element among media, which should be managed more astutely.

He also said that the media could play a significant role in re-boosting a feeling of patriotism among people, especially in the hearts and minds of the younger generation. He said that there was a feeling of frustration seeping in, and media can play a role in changing this mindset.

As far as giving encouragement to the media was concerned, Hooda said that an effective law like Right to Information Act was available and the media should make full use of it to substantiate its research and come out with news and analysis that is seen to be credible and above bias. He reiterated even in the modern world as it exists today, the pen is stronger than sword, and therefore, it is the media''s responsibility to report events and development in constructive and credible manner.

In a question and answer session that followed his address, Hooda spoke about some of the glaring problems affecting Gurgaon and other parts of Haryana. This included infrastructure, environment, power supply and promotion of education for girls. On infrastructure, he said that his government is aware that it is badly planned at the moment and steps were being taken under the new master plan to improve the situation. He added that close to Rs. 900 crore has been set aside for infrastructure development in the State.

On environment, he said that over the past three and a half years, his government has been following environment friendly policies and he added that he was in agreement that companies setting up base in Gurgaon should contribute to improving the environment of the city.

On the problem of power shortage, Hooda said that he was aware of the problem and it was his objective to provide an additional 5000 MW of power to Haryana while he was in office. He predicted that Haryana would emerge as a power surplus state within next three years.

On the education of girls, he said his government had introduced several schemes for providing quality education to girls getting admitted in government run primary schools and for girls who came from socially under privileged or below poverty line.

Earlier welcoming the Chief Minister, Raj Chengappa, the president of the National Media Centre society said the objective of the centre was to promote healthy community living and a hub for the promotion of culture, media and academics. He said all 193 members of the centre had contributed their life savings and their expertise towards creating this green oasis and knowledge hub. He hoped that the government of Haryana would assist the centre in its further development.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister presented floral bouquets to eminent members of the National Media Centre, including Mr. Rama Rao, Mr. Harish Chandra, Mr. L. R. Gupta, Prof. T. K. Oomen, Prof. Ashok Datta and eminent musician Shanti Hiranand.

The function concluded with a cultural program performed by students trained by noted kuchipudi and kathak expert Radha Reddy. (ANI)