Assam Journalists Barasha Das and Sumir Karmakar Selected for Prestigious US International Visitor Leadership Program
Guwahati, June 22, 2024: Two journalists from Assam, Barasha Das and Sumir Karmakar, have been offered the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) by the US government’s Department of State on the project entitled “Call to Climate Action: Building Public Awareness through Media Advocacy.”
The journalists are currently visiting the United States from June 15 to July 6, with stops in Washington DC, Detroit in Michigan, Boise in Idaho, and Boulder in Colorado.
Through the professional exchange program, they will assess US national, state, and local progress in achieving climate change goals. They will also observe how environmental policy-making and media campaigns can be integrated with practical solutions and develop media strategies to enhance public engagement in environmental conservation.
On June 18, Das and Karmakar, along with four other members of the group, visited the US Department of State to understand how US climate and environmental diplomacy aims to achieve economic growth, energy security, and a healthy planet.
Sumir Karmakar is a journalist with 17 years of experience in newspapers and digital media. Barasha Das has been writing about climate change and environmental issues as a freelance journalist in Assam. As a Special Correspondent of the Deccan Herald, Karmakar covers the Northeastern states and has completed two media fellowships in Assam focusing on climate change and the resilience of communities in Majuli, Bodoland, and Dhubri.
Barasha Das is an independent journalist focusing on environmental concerns and climate change issues in Northeast India. She was a fellow of the QoC-CANSA (Question of Cities-Climate Action Network South Asia) Fellowship on Cities and Climate Change in 2023.
Both are accompanied by Isabella Nawodita Gurung (Gangtok), Jaideep Deogharia (Ranchi), Pooja Mehta Batavia (Kolkata), and Sabita Kumari (Patna), who represent Sikkim Express, The Times of India, Times Now, and Dainik Bhaskar, respectively.
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