Indian Journalists Union plenary adopts resolutions to strengthen media freedom

By admin On Nov 7, 2022

STATE TIMES NEWS

CHENNAI: The two-day 10th plenary session of the Indian Journalist Union (IJU) that brought together over a hundred journalists from across the country at Chennai adopted several resolutions to strengthen freedom of press in the country.
The plenary was inaugurated by veteran journalist, a champion for secularism, octogenarian LS Herdenia, 89, who continues to be active in the field of activism and journalism. The plenary was hosted by Tamil Nadu Union of Journalists.
Two senior journalists from Ladakh Journalists Union, Tsewang Rigzin (STATE TIMES Bureau Chief Leh) and Rigzin Wangmo (Sr. Correspondent JK 24×7 Ladakh News) also attended the plenary.
In his inaugural address President IJU Sreenivas K. Reddy said that scribes in the country are passing through testing times. “For doing their professional duty and defending media freedom and while exercising their right to freedom of expression, a number of journalists were put behind bars in various states,” he said, urging the Union Government to appoint a Media Commission to go into the whole scenario of media in the country.
The session passed several resolutions. A resolution unanimously passed reiterated the demand for pension for all journalists. “The 1JU session urges upon the Central Government to introduce the Working Journalists Pension Scheme at all India level for all working journalists as per the working journalists’ definitions in new Labour codes without restricting to only accredited journalists. It may be recalled that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government headed by late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee promised to introduce a pension scheme for journalists all over the country. That promise is yet to be fulfilled,” the resolution read. It also welcomed the decision of the state governments who have already implemented a pension scheme for journalists in their respective States and urge them to enhance it to minimum Rs 15000. The plenary welcomed the decision of some of the States including, Punjab, Maharashtra, Haryana, Tripura, Bihar, Kerala, Assam, Manipur, Chhattisgarh, Tamilnadu, and West Bengal where pension is being given to journalists.
The plenary of IJU urged upon all the state governments which are yet to implement pension schemes for journalists, to immediately take steps to introduce pension schemes for all working journalists irrespective of accreditation.
Another resolution that also got passed unanimously expressed concern over persistent attacks on media and the shrinking space for independent media in the country. It called on all democracy loving people in the country to raise their voice against the unabated assault on media and media persons by both State actors and unlawful and vested elements enjoying the state patronage. “Safeguarding media is critical to sustaining democracy and it is the sacred duty of every citizen to protect and stand by independent media. It is a matter of shame for the country that the downward sliding of India on the scale of press freedom has not stopped and it has been given a rank of 150 among 180 countries surveyed in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders, a plunge from the rank 142 in 2021 index,” it added.