Mangaluru : The 35th conference of state journalists will be held by Karnataka Union of Working Journalists here on March 7 and 8.

The two day conference that will be held in Vaddarse Raghurama Shetty auditorium of Kudmul Rangarao town hall in the presence of Dharmastala Dharmadhikari Dr D Veerendra Heggade will be inaugurated by chief minister B S Yediyurappa.

President of the sangha, Shivananda Tagadoor will chair the programme. Taranga weekly newspaper editor Sandhya Pai will deliver the key note address. Ministers, MLAs and Vidhan Parishad members will take part as guests of honour. In the discussion forum, Sarvakshema hospital and research center medical director Dr A Vivek Udupa will speak on mental strain and maintenance of health among journalists. Senior journalist Ishwar Kaidota will speak on challenges and social responsibility of journalists. Prajavani editor Ravindra Bhat will preside over the discussion in the evening over cultural media.

The second discussion forum will be held in the evening presided over by Ayisha Khan in which journalists from Jarkhand and Sri Lanka will take part. Senior journalist of Bengaluru, Nirmala Eligar will preside over the discussion on the subject of media and women. A conference of the representatives of Karnataka Union of Working Journalists will be held together.

Padmashree Harekala Hajabba will be felicitated. Senior journalists K Anand Shetty and Manohar Prasad will be honored for their special achievement. The programme will be presided over by union minister D V Sadananda Gowda. Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and M Veerappa Moily also are expected to take part. Chief minister B S Yediyurappa will honour the union. Prizes for life time service, achievements and writings for the year 2018 will also be presented.

Karnataka opposition leader Siddaramaiah, deputy chief minister Govinda Karajola, ministers Madhuswamy, Suresh Kumar, and Basavraj Bommai will take part in the programme in the evening.

Instrumental music, Janapada songs, Bharathanatya, Yakshagana play and Hindustani classical music will be presented in the cultural programme on March 7. There will a magic shown by Kudroli Ganesh in the afternoon followed by Alva’s Samskratika Vaibhava by Alva’s students.

President of district Karyanirata Patrakartara Sangha, Srinivas Indaje said that vegetable grown at Kuthuru government school where journalists had grama vastavya will be donated for the state conference.

State president Shivananda Tagadoor released the poster of the conference.