Are you the one who doesn’t like politics? If yes, then you are not alone. Crores of Indians don’t like politics and don’t participate in it without realising the fact that the governments elected through the political process impact each and every aspect of their life. No matter what your profession is, you are not out of the ambit of politics.
For example, the primary role of a government is to enact laws and ensure complete enforcement of those laws.
For whom are laws made? For the public and if the public itself does not actively participate in the political process, then isn’t it unwise?
Do remember that only casting your vote is not sufficient for safeguarding your interests in a democracy.
Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan or Self-reliant India Campaign has been envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The aim is to make the country and its citizens independent and self-reliant in all senses in the next 25 years. Prime Minister Modi has outlined five pillars of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat – Economy, Infrastructure, System, Vibrant Demography, and Demand.
Hence, we see the main thrust of the campaign is to make Indians economically self-reliant, which is indeed a welcome initiative.
However, Politics Watch intends to add more value to the campaign by adding another pillar-Vibrant Democracy.
Politics Watch believes that India will become fully self-reliant when Indians are not only economically but also mentally self-reliant.
When Indians become mentally self-reliant then they will create a Vibrant Democracy, which will make India a Developed Country in the world.
A democracy becomes vibrant when the shareholders of that democracy not only enjoy their due Rights but also perform their prescribed Duties.
Till now, Indians have been mentally reliant on the media to make many types of decisions.
For example, they cast votes based on the perception created by the media, they buy products advertised by the media and etcetera. Sometimes their decisions are right and sometimes wrong.
The role of the Media in a democracy is of paramount importance. The media is only supposed to safeguard the interests of the citizens but today most of the Indian media organisations are either safeguarding the interests of the government(s) or the opposition.
In both cases, the self-interests of those media organisations are automatically being served.
Today Indians witness two types of media: One that is not ready to recognise any positive initiative of the government(s), and one that doesn’t want to see any shortcoming of the government(s).
In other words, popular Indian media brands with a vast reach are either with the government(s) or against the government(s). Is that right? The answer is a Big No.
This polarisation of the media is hurting India very badly and without addressing this problem, it’s very hard for India to become self-reliant in a true sense.
Politics Watch doesn’t intend to become only a News Source, which is a piece of information, but its ultimate aim is to make Indians mentally self-reliant by providing them ready-made and customized authentic knowledge in different formats so that they are able to make ‘Wise Decisions’ instead of decisions based on perception.
In a nutshell, Politics Watch will pursue ‘Sensible and Responsible Journalism’ and not ‘Sensational and Irresponsible Journalism’.
What is Sensible and Responsible Journalism?
An incident in the Editor’s professional life in July 2019 made him realise that writing ‘Inside Stories’ is not going to help the Indian society, but imparting knowledge to people and providing them a Blueprint to apply that knowledge may make a difference in their lives.
This kind of journalism is an example of Sensible Journalism.
The Politics Watch is committed to publishing Authentic News. Therefore, it will not publish news reports attributing them to ‘reliable sources’ or ‘anonymous sources’.
Press Releases are also a form of authentic news as they are official statements of the governments, political parties, politicians, businesses, and etcetera.
However, these statements can be true, incorrect, or misleading. Anyone who is well-informed and has the knowledge will be able to judge the authenticity of these statements.
The Politics Watch wants you to become well-informed and knowledgeable.
India and its interests will always remain paramount in the Politics Watch’s reportage.
This is an example of Responsible Journalism.
How can citizens collaborate with Politics Watch?
The Politics Watch believes that the active participation of the citizenry makes a democracy vibrant. One way of participation is giving ideas/suggestions to improve the governance or functioning of the society.
At a time when the majority of the media outlets don’t give enough space to the common citizens, the Politics Watch invites you to send your ideas/suggestions to solve any problem that India faces. If your ideas/suggestions are found to be effective then Politics Watch will publish them giving due credit to you.
Please Register Here for sending ideas/suggestions.
Else, you may participate in the Discussion on the various topics. To participate in the discussion, Register Here.
What are the future plans of Politics Watch?
Though the primary website of Politics Watch is in English, the plan is to launch it in Hindi, Urdu, and other regional languages. The publication also intends to be present on social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and etcetera in order to reach the maximum number of Indians.
How Will Politics Watch Generate Revenue?
The Politics Watch started its journey with the help of a very small team.
However, the kind of journalism that Politics Watch intends to pursue requires a hefty investment for hiring a large team, an advanced and highly user-friendly website & App, a well-equipped office, and other requisite amenities.
The publication believes that free and fair journalism is only possible when readers bear the cost of news. Therefore, Politics Watch intends to become a 100% people-funded media platform. Hence, the core revenue generation model of the publication will be ‘subscription’.
Since the Publication is in its nascent stage, therefore it’s natural that initially, the revenue generated through the ‘subscription’ will not be sufficient to fund the expansion costs.
Therefore, Politics Watch may seek deposits/loans on mutually agreed terms from those Angel Investors, Foundations, or Private Entities for the Operations and initial expansion who agree not to directly or indirectly influence the editorial and content policy of the publication.
The details of all such deposits/loans, if any, will be published on the Politics Watch Website.
Politics Watch may also generate revenue through advertising and affiliate marketing. It will also generate revenue through selling services and products to the customers. In case of a conflict of interest, the same will be intimated to the readers.
What will be the Subscription Fee?
In order to make Politics Watch accountable to everyone, the same subscription fee will be charged to everyone who is willing to pay.
Since every Indian voter has one vote, the subscription fee of Politics Watch is One Rupee Per Day, i.e Rs 30 in a month and Rs 365 in a year.
Final thoughts
The success or failure of Politics Watch depends on you. Without your financial and moral support, it’s not possible for the Politics Watch to pursue the kind of journalism that it intends to do.
Do remember: You should pay for independent and people-friendly journalism to safeguard your interests as world-famous American sculptor and video artist Richard Serra rightly said in 1973: “When Anything is Free then You are the Product.”
Today, most of the media brands have made you the product, but Politics Watch doesn’t want to make you the product.
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