Hooda announces sops for journos

Panipat, Jan 13 (UNI) Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today announced a string of incentives and facilities for mediapersons, which included giving press accreditation to those working at sub-divisional and block levels.

The Chief Minister also announced an increase in rates of advertisement for small newspapers, setting up a welfare fund of Rs 1 lakh at district level and a reserved fund of Rs 5 lakh for providing faclities like vehicles at state level to journalists.

He also announced the setting up of a separate jounalist cell and disposal of cases relating to press accreditation within a period of two weeks.

The Chief Minister made these announcement while addressing a felicitation function orgainsed jointly by 'Haryana Patarkar Sangh' and 'Chandigarh Press Club' here.

On the occasion, Mr Hooda was honoured with a memento and a shawl by these two organisations for implementing and initiating a number of new schemes and incentives.

Refering to the bonanza of incentives, the Chief Minister said the press accreditation had already been given to print and electronic mediapersons at the state and district level and now, on their persistant demand, it would also provided at sub-division and block levels.

He said the rate of advertisements for small newspapers would be increased from Rs 1.75 to Rs 4.50 per column per cm.

Mr Hooda enlisted a number of decisions and incentives taken for facilitating and encouraging the mediapersons in the state. These included giving 11 awards at state level and seven at each district level amounting to Rs 37 lakh every year. These awards would be given every year on the occasion of the National Press Day in the fields of creating social awakening, communal harmony, development and rural reporting, investigative and analytical reporting.

UNI HS AKJ GC2010