Four Woman Odia Journalists, Including Sambad’s Sasmita Sahu, Receive Ladli Media Award; 97 Awardees from 14 States
Balasore, 20/11 (Krushna Kumar Mohanty): The Ladli Media Award for 2025, instituted by Population First and UNFPA, was presented yesterday.
At the ceremony held at the Tata Theatre in Mumbai, four journalists from Odisha, including Sasmita Sahu of Sambad, received the honour. The other awardees from Odisha were Aishwarya Mohanty, Shatarupa Samantaray, and Antarjeeta Nayak.
The awards are given each year after evaluating reports highlighting gender sensitivity and the various challenges faced by women in society. Sasmita Sahu was honoured for her feature “Guniya Gadhe Lo Dahani,” published in Ravibar Sambad, which examined superstition-related violence in Odisha. Her report detailed how witchcraft-related crimes have become alarming in seven districts, and how faith-healers intimidate tribal communities by exploiting their beliefs.
Senior journalists Kalpana Sharma and Hephzibah Pathak attended the event as guests. Population First’s founder A. L. Sharada was present, and Yogesh Pawar conducted the programme. In total, 97 awardees from 14 states were honoured on this occasion.
