Jammu, September 22: A three member panel of Press Council of India (PCI) comprising S N Sinha, Suman Gupta and Prakash Dubey today helda day-long interaction with representatives of print, electronic and digital media here to know the ground realities and challenges journalist fraternity of the region face while performing their professional duties.
About a dozen delegations of newspaper owners, editors, journalist associations, representatives of print and electronic media and online portals from across Jammu province held detailed discussions on wide ranging aspects of local media and government policies affecting journalism in the region.
Director Information and Public Relations, Muneer-ul-Islam, Joint Director Headquarters Abdul Majid Zargar, Joint Director Information Jammu, Manisha Sareen, Deputy Director PR Jammu, Avleen Kour and other senior functionaries were also present.
The visiting panel members inquired from the delegations about their issues they were confronting and sought suggestions about the way PCI could help to promote and protect the interests of media organizations and journalists.
The media persons sought supportive atmosphere for performing their duty, financial and social security schemes, travel and other relaxation, particularly keeping in view the tough circumstances in which they work in the state.
They sought immediate promulgation of Journalists Welfare Fund announced by the government in last budget session. They also pinpointed how the department of Information and PR has been dealing with the print media and arbitrary distribution of government advertisements without observing fair and judicious criteria; none- implementation of advertisement policy in true letter and spirit; Medical.
Insurance and risk cover for the working journalists, pension scheme for journalists, journalists' protection Act and certain relaxations on the pattern of other states.
The delegation of Jammu Newspapers Association and Jammu Newspapers Editors Guild (JNEG), JK Newspapers Editors Association, Press Club separately apprised the PCI panel about the problems and hardship being faced by the media fraternity in Jammu region and presented their respective memorandum.
They also demanded that the advertisements issuance policy of the J&K Govt is arbitrary and malaise ridden as selective newspapers are given loaves and rest are given bits of advertisements and there is no rationale in the advertisement distribution of the information department of J&K Govt.
JKNEG informed the PCI panel about the official patronage of the state government through Information department of anti-national media that has been promoting secessionism in the state.
Director Information also gave the official version of how the department acts as an interface between the media and government and how it disseminates information regarding government policies and programmes.
