US official lauds Indian journalists, says India has a free press

A top US official has lauded the freedom of the press in India and the role of journalists in supporting democracy in the world's most populous country.

US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu said that "there is nothing that's kept secret there. You have India as a democracy in part because you have a free press that really works."

I know the media market is changing. But I have such respect for the freedom of the press in India. There is nothing that's kept secret there. You have India as a democracy in part because you have a free press that really works, Lu told PTI here.

I can remember going into MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) once and seeing a senior person with files stacked up to the ceiling because he was processing a Right For Information request. And he was complaining bitterly about having to do this and I could only laugh because we have to do the same thing in our bureaucracy where if someone asks for a document, I have to spend several days finding the document for them because that's what democracy does, he said.

Lu appreciated the role of the journalists and the work they do to support Indian democracy.

According to United Nations estimates, India has become the most populous country in the world with 142.86 crore people.