Newspapers have become an essential part of modern life. A newspaper has a great influence on society. It helps to improve communication skills. Keeping in view the importance of newspapers in our daily life, the Institution's Innovation Council (IIC), University of Jammu, organized a field visit to India’s leading National Hindi Newspaper Industry and Office of Amar Ujala on occasion of “76th Independence Day -2022” under the aegis of “Azadi ka Amrit Kaal”. The theme of the visit was “First Hand Exposure of Technology Transfer in Newspaper Industry”. The main objectives of field visit were to know about technology involved in newspaper printing, to identify which sections of newspapers are read most by the users and to create awareness about the processes involved in newspaper among the students of the University of Jammu.

The event was started with the welcome address by Mr.Manik Abrol (Unit Head).There after Mr.Baljeet Kumar(Admin) gave a very comprehensive presentation about historical background of Amar Ujala Newspaper followed by present status of Amar Ujala Newspaper. Amar Ujala is one of India’s leading Hindi Newspaper Founded in 1948, with 21 editions in 179 districts in 6 states and 2 union territories. It is a 75-year-old leading media.

With a total daily readership of 4.70 crore readers ,making it one of the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in India with a circulation base of 26.75 lakh copies (1.79 lakh copies of variant included) .The geography of Amar Ujala covers North India including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab and Delhi NCR.The strength of Amar Ujala lies in consistent and superior editorial coverage, with a clear focus on variety ,on not only local issues of our 180 districts of operation, but also on issues of State, as well as National and International prerogatives.

Amar Ujala publishes 18–24-page daily issue with colourful and vibrant pages in every edition. In addition to the mainline newspaper and the city centric pull outs, several niche supplements are published focusing on topics like jobs and career, entertainment, women and many more. A popular weekly magazine 'Rupayan' is published every Friday. The supplement carries women-centric content including stories on food, fashion, beauty, home and interiors and many more across all 21 editions. It has a Trust of 44 million families .About 26.67 lakh copies are circulated  everyday .It publishes 21 editions across 6 states and 2 union territories

The students and staff   interacted with Unit Head, Mr. Manik Abrol. He spoke about the news organization and his experiences in his career. He also said that it is important to communicate with everyone and suggested students to read newspaper to update themselves and improve their vocabulary. After the session the students were divided into two batches and Mr. Neelam Singh (CTP Incharge) explained about the process of printing a newspaper   and the organization of the various elements of a newspaper.

He further explained that aluminum panels are printed for each page of the paper, one sheet for each color. They are then loaded onto rollers to print the desired color onto the newsprint paper.  These sheets are used just once and are thereafter recycled. He also explained how they use computers to mix the colors to get the desired intensity.  This is another area that technology has dramatically changed. The technician explained   how they use computers to mix the colors to get the desired intensity.  This is another area that technology has dramatically changed.

From the newsroom, the participants then walked along the perimeter of the “factory-like” floor where the printing of newspapers and how they were folded and sorted for distribution was shown practically. Although, this room is most active in the wee-hours of the night and the printing for the daily paper begins after midnight.

   The event ended up with question answer session and felicitations. Special thanks were presented to Prof. Umesh Rai, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, University of Jammu for his encouragement and motivation for strengthening the innovation culture in the institution. Prof. Susheel Kumar Sharma, President IIC, University of Jammu was the Convenor of the Industrial visit and he said that the influence of the newspapers is almost endless. Reading is an important activity in the process of learning, which can shape good personality, ideas, right thinking, and brings a change in the attitude of individuals. In today’s highly competitive world, newspapers can equip students with necessary information, knowledge, and insights which will give them the much-needed edge for being successful not only for competitive examinations or job interviews but also in their professional and social life.

The industrial visit was escorted  by  Prof. Susheel Kumar Sharma, President IIC, University of Jammu ; IIC, Team Members, Dr .Rockey Gupta and  Dr.Meghna Dhar. Besides this, other faculty members and staff of University of Jammu who accompanied the IIC team were Mr. Ashwin Kumar Kushwaha, Mr.Ramesh Chander Angral, Mr. Devinder Singh, Mr.Manik Sharma and Mr. Tither Singh. About 50 students from various departments of University of Jammu visited the industry. The faculty, staff and students of University of Jammu got good exposure from this visit and expressed gratitude for visiting the Industry. They witnessed the process of production of newspapers. Students also learnt about the distribution economical activities relating to the production. The students were quite fascinated beholding and assimilating the various steps involved in News Paper printing. This experiential learning boosted the student’s curiosity to learn more and more. The visit was very fruitful outing for the students as well as staff. Knowing something is different but seeing is believing. Dr. Meghna Dhar, Internship Activity Coordinator, IIC, University of Jammu was the coordinator of the newspaper industrial visit.

Key Deliverables/Take ways of the Seminar:-

The faculty, staff and students of University of Jammu got good exposure from this visit and expressed gratitude for visiting the Industry. They witnessed the process of production of newspapers. Students also learnt about the distribution economical activities relating to the production. The students were quite fascinated beholding and assimilating the various steps involved in News Paper printing. This experiential learning boosted the student’s curiosity to learn more and more. The visit was very fruitful outing for the students as well as staff. Knowing something is different but seeing is believing