Shalini Singh bags Prem Bhatia award for political reporting

The key to her stories was a careful accumulation of evidence, analysis of documents, connecting the dots and a willingness to challenge government claims, big business and vested interests.

Shalini Singh, a deputy editor with The Hindu, has been selected for the Prem Bhatia Award 2013 for Best Political reporting. Photo Rajeev Bhatt

Shalini Singh, a Deputy Editor with The Hindu , has bagged the prestigious Prem Bhatia Award for Political Reporting-2013.

She has been selected for her ‘excellent coverage of several key issues,’ particularly her ‘reporting of the telecom and Coalgate scandals.’

S. Nihal Singh, chairman of the four-member jury that decided on the award, said: “We were impressed with Shalini Singh’s meticulousness in pursuing a story to its logical conclusion, which is not a quality to be found in many reporters. The whole idea of the award is to recognise journalists who show great promise, and Ms. Singh’s work on the 2G scam, Coalgate and her information-gathering skills made her a fit candidate.”

Ms. Singh said she had decided to donate the prize money — Rs.1.5 lakh — to charitable causes, including the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the Uttarakhand floods.

Jaideep Hardikar, a Special Correspondent with The Telegraph , bagged the Prem Bhatia award for excellence in environmental reporting, particularly related to rural and agrarian issues.

The award ceremony will be held on August 11, where the former Foreign Secretary and chairman of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB), Shyam Saran, will deliver the 18th Annual Prem Bhatia Memorial Lecture.

Previous award-winners include Harish Khare, Praveen Swami, P. Sainath, Gargi Parsai, Nirupama Subramanian, Pallavi Aiyar and Amit Baruah for their works in The Hindu .