The Committee constituted by the government to calibrate the criteria for categorization of the empaneled newspapers met here today under the chairmanship of Director Information Muneer-ul-Islam.Joint Director Information Headquarters, Sajid YehayaNaqash; Joint Director Information Kashmir, Mir Zahoor Ahmad; Joint Director Information Jammu, Naresh Kumar;Deputy Director Information Jammu, Atul Gupta;Deputy Director Information (Central), Avleen Kour Bali; Deputy Labour Commissioner Jammu, Thakur Sher Singh; Manager Ranbir Govt Press Jammu, Kulvir Singh; Coordinator Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIM) Jammu, Manohar Khajuria and Senior Assistant Professor, MERC, Kashmir University Dr Syeda Afshana were present at the meetingThe meeting held threadbare deliberations on the parameters and criteria to be adopted for categorization of the newspapers and other periodicals in light of the Advertisement Policy-2016 for release of government advertisements and fixation of rates thereof.Pertinent to mention that the government has constituted a broad-based committee to deliberateon the issue of categorization and submit its recommendations to the Empanelment Committee headed by Secretary to the Government, Information Department. The Empanelment Committee will finalize the categorization of the newspapers and other periodicals to implement the new advertisement rate structure announced by the government recently.The government while ordering revised advertisement rates for the newspapers and other periodicals has made it conditional with the categorization of the newspapers.The Advertisement Budget for 2017-18 was Rs 30 crore which has been hiked to Rs 35 crore in the 2018-19 Budget.