Following the issuance of new Accreditation Rules by the State Government, the Department of Information & Public Relations (DIPR) has invited applications from the working journalists in the State for granting fresh accreditation.The journalists seeking accreditation have to submit the requisite information/credentials on the prescribed application form available in the Directorate of Information and also in the offices of the provincial Joint Directors of Information at Jammu and Srinagar.The application forms for accreditation would be placed before the State Media Accreditation Committee (SMAC) comprising Bashir Manzar, Editor Kashmir Images; Shuja-ul-Haq, Bureau Chief, India Today TV; Taufiq Rashid, Bureau Chief, Hindustan Times; Manish Gupta, Resident Editor, Early Times; Vivek Sharma, Correspondent, State Times; Pradeep Dutta, Bureau Chief, Times Now; Tariq Lone, Video Journalist, Aaj Tak; Farooq Javaid Khan, Photo Journalist, Rising Kashmir; Rajnesh Bakshi, Video Journalist, IBN7 and Channi Anand, Photo Journalist Associated Press as members.Director Information is the Convener of the Committee while Deputy Director Information (PR) is the Member Secretary of the Committee. The Committee would also review the existing accreditation granted to media persons in light of the State News Media Accreditation Policy-2017.Pertinently, the Government notified the revised accreditation rules rechristening these as State News Media Accreditation Policy-2017 on 6 June 2017. The fresh accreditation to the media-persons would be granted as per the guidelines laid down in the State Media Accreditation Rules-2017 available on DIPR website at http://www.jkdirinf.in/Upload/50deeed7-1a74-4c4b-91af-82769538338d_SNMAS%202017.pdf.