Gulbarga: Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on September 2 advised the media not only to play the role of educating and enlightening the people but also to shoulder the greater responsibility of boosting the morale of the nation and building of self- confidence among the people, especially during the periods of crisis.

Speaking at the silver jubilee function of Gulbarga Doordarshan Kendra and laying the foundation stone for Akashvani FM channel for Gulbarga, he said the media should not aggravate the situation and hurt the national sentiments while performing its duty as the watchdog of the society.

Recalling the important role played by the media at the time when he laid the foundation stone for Gulbarga Doordarshan Kendra in 1977, he said it had then performed its role in a responsible manner and that it should be playing the same role even today.

With the emergence of various TV channels and newspapers, media had come into a very competitive environment which was a healthy trend, he said.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj said Doordarshan had a reach of 85 per cent today and it was fulfilling its social obligation creditably.

PTI