Greater Noida: The Sharda School of Media, Film & Entertainment (SSMFE), Sharda University, organised a two-day National Conference titled “Media Perspectives on GST Reforms: Empowering Citizens and Enhancing Public Awareness for Viksit Bharat” on 17–18 August 2026, sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Northern Regional Centre, New Delhi.
The conference was held under the distinguished patronage of P. K. Gupta, Chancellor, Sharda University; Y. K. Gupta, Pro-Chancellor, Sharda University; and Prof. (Dr.) Sibaram Khara, Vice-Chancellor, Sharda University. Prof. (Dr.) Ritu S. Sood, Dean, SSMFE, served as the Conference Chair. Dr. Aaqib Anwaar Butt, Assistant Professor, SSMFE was Conference Convener, with Dr. Mukta Martolia, HoD, SSMFE and Dr. Sonali Srivastava, Assistant Professor, SSMFE as Co-Conveners.
The conference was graced by Dr. Yashovardhan Pathak, Commissioner, GST & Central Excise, Government of India, along with distinguished academicians including Prof. (Dr.) Durgesh Tripathi, Dean, USMC, GGSIPU; Prof. Dushyant Kumar Rai, University of Jammu; Prof. (Dr.) Sachin Bharti, GGSIPU; Prof. Ramesh Kumar Sharma, VIPS; Dr. Rajesh Shukla, Professor & HoD, IFTM University, Moradabad; Dr. Nivedita Sharma, HoD, Mass Communication, IITM, New Delhi; and Mr. Saniuddin Khan, Jamia Millia Islamia.
Prominent media professionals including Shalini Kapoor Tiwari, Senior Journalist, NDTV & Podcaster; Ayushi Modi, Business Producer, Jagran News Media; Anuj Mishra, Senior Media Professional, Times Now; and Anand Tiwari, News18 enriched the deliberations with perspectives from contemporary media practice.
Across the two days, the conference featured focused technical sessions on GST Reforms, Media Communication and Viksit Bharat; GST Communication, Governance and Citizen Awareness; Culture, Inclusion and Development Communication; and Media Literacy, Emerging Technologies and the Creative Economy.
The deliberations underscored the role of responsible journalism, effective public communication, media literacy and emerging technologies in simplifying economic reforms, countering misinformation and promoting informed citizen participation. The conference called for stronger collaboration among government, academia and the media towards more accessible and citizen-centric public communication.
With wide national representation from institutions across the country, the conference brought together diverse scholarly perspectives on media, GST reforms, governance, public awareness and emerging technologies, reinforcing its relevance to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
