News Broadcasting
NDTV announces first RTI Awards
MUMBAI: NDTV has joined hands with Public Cause Research Foundation (PCRF), an organisation set up by Magsaysay awardee Arvind Kejriwal, to organise the first RTI Awards.
The awards will be given away on 1 December to acknowledge those who have displayed exemplary commitment to RTI Act. These will honour public information officers (PIOs), citizens and information commissioners who have strived through the RTI to make India better, claims the channel.
The awards ceremony, in New Delhi, will be graced by Vice President of India Hamid Ansari.
NDTV chairman Prannoy Roy said, “NDTV is privileged to present the RTI Awards to the citizens and officials of India who have made the Right-To-Information Act a success. RTI has helped Indians in getting justice that they are entitled to and brought in transparency in our democratic system.
Added Kejriwal, “The purpose of these awards is to enthuse commissioners, officers and citizens alike to make RTI a reality in letter and spirit, which it is far from right now.”
The awards will be given in three categories – best information commissioner in the country, best public information officer in the country and best RTI citizen.
The jury comprises personalities and citizens of India like Aamir Khan, NR Narayana Murthy, Mallika Sarabhai, Fali S Nariman, Santosh (RTI activist), Justice JS Verma, Madhu Trehan, JM Lyngdoh, Pullela Gopichand, Sanjay Gupta, and Prannoy Roy.
Each winner will receive a citation, a plaque and prize money of Rs 200,000.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
