State Government would be taking effective steps to check the misuse of ‘Press’ on the wind screen on front of a number of unauthorized vehicles and only the signed stickers issued by the Director of Information and Public Relations would be treated as authorization to exhibit the same on the wind screen on the front side of the vehicles of the media persons. Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, issued these directions to the authorities for implementation after taking all related aspects into consideration, in the meeting with the executive committee of the National Union of Journalism here today.
Singh directed the deputy commissioners, superintendents of police, sub-divisional magistrates and deputy superintendents of police to meet the local press at least once a month and reply to the developmental queries raised by the media persons with facts and figures.
He said that the local press needed to be provided information about the ongoing developmental activities in the respective areas so that people of the area were kept posted with the status of developmental projects. He said that frequent interaction with the media persons would also go a long way in removing various apprehensions and misconceptions about various activities of the government in the area and was in the interest of the people in general.
Chief Minister said that the state government was encouraging developmental journalism and awarding working journalists for their best developmental story at national, state and district level with a citation and cash award of Rs. 25,000, Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 15,000 respectively.
Singh said that taking into consideration the economic condition of two deceased journalists, state government would be providing an ex-gratia grant of Rs. 1.00 lakh each to the next of the kin of late Shabir Quereshi, former Indian Express correspondent from Bilaspur and late Sunil Kumar, former correspondent of Dainik Tribune from Chamba.
Dr. Roshan Lal Bali, President of the Himachal Chapter of National Union of Journalists welcomed the Chief Minister and apprised him of the various grievances of the working journalists in the state. He urged him for more facilities to the working journalists to discharge their duties more conveniently.
Praveen Rai, Chief Advisor of the Association, Birbal Sharma, Senior Vice President of the Association and other members of the executive committee attended the meeting.
