Hyderabad: Information and Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said on 24 October that accreditation cards cannot be issued to Internet Protocol (IP) television channels. These channels now operate in place of cable TV in the state. He clarified that the government cannot issue new cards to IP channels that did not exist earlier.
The minister said 26,000 accreditation cards have already been issued. That is about 4,000 more than the number issued earlier. He also said the process of issuing cards remains transparent and will continue. All eligible journalists will receive cards, he added.
A delegation led by Telangana Working Journalists Federation (TWJF) state president Mamidi Somaiah met the minister at the Secretariat on Saturday. It included representatives of cable channels and several federation leaders. They submitted a memorandum seeking accreditation cards for cable IP channels and house sites for journalists. They also asked for health cards on the lines of those given to government employees.
Somaiah told the minister that many news channels once run through cable networks now operate through IP, in line with changing technology. He asked that IP TV news channels also receive accreditation cards. He said many journalists have waited for house sites for years and urged the government to allot them to all eligible journalists without delay.
Journalists’ house sites and pension scheme
Ponguleti said the government is committed to journalists’ welfare. He said eligible journalists will soon receive house sites, which would fulfil their dream of owning a home. According to him, the government is taking steps to ensure the plots carry no legal complications, so that the legal problems journalists faced earlier do not recur. He added that journalists need not worry.
The minister said the government is working sincerely to find a permanent solution to the house-site issue. He said house sites for journalists have so far been given only during Congress rule, and will be given again under Congress rule. He described journalists as a bridge between the people and the government who play a key role in a democracy.
Ponguleti also said the government is committed to resolving journalists’ long-pending problems and providing facilities for a dignified life. He said the previous government issued only 21,000 accreditations, while the present government has already issued 26,000.
Somaiah also asked the government to introduce a pension scheme for senior journalists above 60 years of age. Federation leaders Kuncham Srinivas and Ravi Kumar were among those who met the minister. Cable Channel Association representatives Subhash, Bharat, Sriramulu, Shafiuddin, Pratap, Racharla Gopi, Sudhakar and Vignesh Goud also attended.
