BJP MLC Surinder Ambardar on Thursday called upon Chief Secretary B R Sharma in civil secretariat here and took up the concerns of media fraternity primarily of those newspapers/periodicals and journal establishments who remain bereft of the benefits due to the advertisement policy of 2016 that makes it mandatory for fresh newspapers for having uninterrupted publication for three years.Ambardar while discussing the issue said while as previous advertisement policy of 1996 and 2001 issued by information and public relations department clearly states that for empanelment with the said department there should be uninterrupted publication for only one year that would enable and ensure that the new and fresh newspapers also get their share of advertisement from government departments, corporations, and local bodies.
The MLC said there have been no empanelment of any newspaper by the information department from the last seven years which has shattered dreams of many budding and promising journalists of the state as there seems to be no scope of revenue generation.He said a delegation of Jammu and Kashmir Media Association had called upon him recently and submitted a memorandum listing their justified demands of empanelment and getting the equal share in the advertisements of the government departments as there are as many as 100 non-empanelled newspapers along with their staff and families who are at the receiving end of some of the clauses of the new advisement policy. The BJP MLC stressed on the need to ensure that the empanelment criteria should not only be based on the number of years of publication of a particular publishing entity but also include the content scrutiny which would enable that genuine and promising talents get their due.Chief Secretary noted down all the suggestions and forwarded the same to the concerned department for prompt action. (GNS)