News Broadcasting
Network18 joins forces with Truecaller to combat women harassment
Mumbai: Network18, in partnership with Truecaller, has launched #ItsNotOk campaign to raise awareness on why it’s important for women to call out harassment issues. The campaign was unveiled on 8 March to mark the occasion of International Women’s Day.
A survey conducted by Truecaller suggests that one in every three women receives sexually inappropriate calls or messages and eight out of ten women receive harassment and nuisance calls in India. While most women block these callers or phone numbers on Truecaller, very few report their harassers to authorities and the rest suffer in silence.
Through the campaign, Network18 and Truecaller are espousing that policy makers, social support systems and media platforms have a collective responsibility to stop women harassment in our country. The key focus of the campaign will be on what women can do at an individual capacity and what our society can do collectively to curtail harassment of women.
The initiative will bring together all stakeholders including state police, NGOs, counsellors, legal help and government representatives to talk about how society can work together for a safer environment, where women feel empowered.
The campaign will see minister of state for women and child development Dr Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai deliver the keynote session. On the other hand National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma and Truecaller co-founder Nami Zarringhalam will be part of Network18’s stream-athon on Facebook and Twitter, where they will share their views on how can women stop harassment.
The campaign will also see engagement from multiple influencers from various fields, including the likes of Jwala Gutta, PV Sindhu, Aditi Rao Hydari and Neeti Palta. While Jwala Gutta will be part of streamathon, tweetathon and Twitter spaces activity on 8 March. PV Sindhu and Aditi Rao Hydari will also be a part of a Insta live session, while Neeti Palta will be part of a tweetathon and engaging on Twitter Spaces. Twitter Spaces will be hosted on News18 India, CNN-News18 & News18 Gujarati handles.
Others including social activist Ranjana Kumar, special commissioner Shalini Singh, DCP KPS Malhotra, Psychiatrist Dr Anjali Chhabria, Yogita Bhayana of PARI foundation, lawyer Aaliya Waziri, Vineet Kumar of Cyber Peace Foundation, UN Women Representative for India Susan Ferguson will also join the discussion to talk about the various aspects of women harassment including trauma, counseling, legal recource, and police initiatives.
“Through this campaign Network18 and Truecaller aim to push for providing a safer digital environment for women,” said Network18 CEO business news cluster Smriti Mehra. “We believe that it is crucial for policy makers, social support systems and media platforms to increase awareness around all aspects of women safety.”
“This International Women’s Day, we want to reiterate that the safety of women is critical and we all need to come together to put an end to harassment in digital communication,” said Truecaller India chief product officer and managing director Rishit Jhunjhunwala. “Every woman has the power to achieve a lot more when empowered to #callitout. The campaign #ItsNotOk was launched in 2017 with the aim to support women and ensure a safe environment. This year, with support of Network 18, we are taking a new path and urging women to come forward to #callItOut and take action against unwanted communication.”
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
