Guwahati-based journalist Rokibuz Zaman has won the prestigious National RedInk Awards 2023, presented by the Mumbai Press Club, for excellence in journalism.
Currently working with The Scroll, Rokibuz Zaman won the award in the human rights category for his news report on Assam NRC-Aadhaar logjam.
The award-winning news report delves into the tangled bureaucratic process involving Aadhaar registrations, ration cards and the National Register for Citizens (NRC) in Assam exposing how it jeopardized the access to vital food rations for thousands.
The story highlighted the plight of thousands of people in Assam who were deprived of ration cards.
“In Assam, the government halted Aadhaar registrations in 2017, when just 7% of the population had enrolled. This was because the state was updating its National Register of Citizens (NRC)…The updated NRC was published on August 31, 2019. In June 2020, Aadhaar registration was resumed in Assam. Lakhs of people…who were left out of the NRC, have not been able to get an Aadhaar number. Many of those who made it to the final NRC, but were excluded from its draft version, have also had trouble getting enrolled in Aadhaar. This is because the biometric data of over 27 lakh people collected during the NRC process remains frozen,” the story noted.
The article emphasizes that the absence of an Aadhaar number has resulted in severe consequences, as approximately 15 lakh eligible individuals for subsidized rations lack ration cards linked to Aadhaar numbers, because of their frozen biometric data.
“Thrilled to win the Mumbai Press Club national RedInk Awards for excellence in Indian journalism,” the elated journalist told The News Mill.
An alumnus of Gauhati University, Rokibuz Zaman started his journalism career with The News Mill where he reported on various issues. Subsequently, he contributed to The Times of India and the Telegraph in Guwahati.
National RedInk Award
The National RedInk Award for Lifetime Achievement has been bestowed on veteran journalist, columnist and author Neerja Chowdhury.
The Journalist of the Year award went jointly to Dhanya Rajendran, editor-in-chief and founder of The News Minute, and independent journalist Sharad Vyas.
The award ceremony was hosted by the Mumbai Press Club in Mumbai on December 2.
