Young journalist Karam Parkash honoured by Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha Welfare Trust on World Press Freedom Day
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ May 3,2026
On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha Welfare Trust honoured young journalist Karam Prakash with a “Sanmaan Patra” in recognition of his contributions to ethical and ground-level journalism.
Karam Prakash, who is working with national daily Hindustan Times was honoured for his fearless reporting emphasizing “on the ground reporting” to bring real issues to the forefront, by former editor of Punjabi Jagran Varinder Walia, former Assistant Director of All India Radio Amarjeet Singh Waraich, Head of the Journalism Department at Punjabi University Patiala Dr. Amanpreet Randhawa, and trust head Akshy Khanori during a function held in Patiala.
Addressing the gathering, Prakash used the platform to highlight what he termed a “deepening crisis” relating to a severe dent in press freedom, both globally and in India.
Citing global assessments, he noted that press freedom has dropped to its lowest level in 25 years, with more than half of the countries now classified as having “difficult” or “very serious” conditions for journalism.
Prakash said that the global trend had been reflected here in India as well, ranking the country 157 out of 180 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index. “This is not just a statistic—it is a warning that the world’s largest democracy is facing increasing strain on media freedom,” he said.
Turning to Punjab, Prakash said a coercive environment was being witnessed, where independent journalists were being systematically targeted.
He expressed concerns over the increasing takedowns and restrictions on the digital platforms run by independent journalists.
Besides Karam Prakash, senior journalist Gagandeep Singh Ahuja along with Aman Arora, and Navdeep Dhingra were also honoured on the occasion for their contributions to journalism.
The trust is named after Kartar Singh Sarabha, a young revolutionary of the Ghadar Party, who played a significant role in India’s freedom movement and was executed by the British in 1915 at the age of 19.
