Patrika Group launches an edition from Jagdalpur

The new edition from Chhattisgarh will cover seven districts including Kanker, Kondagaon, Bastar/Jagdalpur, Narayanpur, Bijapur, Dantewada and Sukuma.

The Patrika Group has launched its 33rd edition in the country and the 4th edition from Chhattisgarh. The Jagdalpur edition will cover seven districts in the Bastar region including Kanker, Kondagaon, Bastar/Jagdalpur, Narayanpur, Bijapur, Dantewada and Sukuma.

The new edition has been launched with an initial print run of 25,000 copies. The edition has been launched from Jagdalpur, the headquarters of Bastar district and the entire Bastar division.

It is the first national daily to have a full fledged edition from Jagdalpur. According to the company officials, the edition has been launched with an aim of providing a voice to the locals. "The one-point agenda is to give 'voice' to the region, connect it to mainstream India, explore the unexplored reserves for larger benefit of society, and encourage potential dialogues - so that their issues can be heard and acted upon in the right spirit," says the official.

Patrika has three other editions in Chhattisgarh - at Raipur, Durg and Bhilai.

"The coming times will see reportage and development concerns from this unchartered region and build public opinion that could be the harbinger of what good lies ahead. As for the advertisers, it's a maiden opportunity, as the brand itself could become the category representation, the market being unexplored and the opportunity being rare to ride on the penetration," says Saurabh Bhandari, national head, corporate, Patrika Group.

The Bastar region is known for its natural resources and Gondi speaking tribal population. It is close to the several adjoining states including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, making it a strategically placed region.

Jagdalpur is a far flung area of the state and is not well connected with the rest of the state. It takes more than 24 hours to reach the district from the state capital, Raipur, one of the main reasons why the media is not so visible in the region.

For the record, Patrika entered Chhattisgarh with an edition from Raipur in September, 2010 and it subsequently launched other editions, which cover Raipur, Bilaspur, Bhilai, Raigarh, Korba and Rajanand among other places in the state.