The Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that press freedom is the foundation for a successful democracy, the new Information and Broadcasting Minister, Prakash Javadekar, who assumed office on Tuesday said. Besides the I&B Ministry, he will also take charge of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

“We believe that freedom of the press is the essence of democracy. And to make democracy a success, we require this press freedom, because it gives people the choice in a rainbow of differing opinions. The whole polity and media have the responsibility to make democracy a success,” he told reporters.

He said the Government did not wish to introduce any external regulation. The media knows its responsibility well and has been working in the direction of self-regulation, he added. The Government will welcome “constructive criticism” he said, adding that dissent had its own place in a democratic set up.

Recalling 1975 as the time when media’s freedom was trampled upon, he said the people fought against it. “I personally was very active on this front because I belong to a family of journalists,” said Javadekar, who was earlier joint editor of Marathi daily Kesari .