CHAIRMAN OF UTTARAKHAND CM’S ADVISORY COMMITTEE , SR.JOURNALIST GOVIND SINGH CONVENES A MEETING OF DELHI JOURNALISTS FROM UTTARAKHAND AND ASSURES TO RESOLVE THEIR COMPLEX ISSUES PERTAINING TO THEIR NEWSPAPERS, PORTALS AND NEWS WEBSITES

SUNIL NEGI
On the personal invitation of the newly appointed chairman to the Uttarakhand chief minister’s media advisory committee , senior journalist Govind Singh and the CM’s media coordinator in Delhi Madan Mohan Sati, several senior journalists and journalists / publishers of Web portals, magazines and regional papers met at the Uttarakhand Sadan New Delhi’s conference hall and interacted on important matters pertaining to the grievances of the small and medium news papers of Uttarakhand in Delhi and the Webportals including the digital media.

The meeting was presided over by senior journalist and chairman of the Uttarakhand CM’s Advisory committee Govind Singh.

This important meeting convened at the behest of senior journalist who has to his credit a chequered journalistic career of more than four decades Govind Singh said that the basic purpose to call this meeting is to acquaint the higher ups including the CM Uttarakhand the grievances of the small and medium news papers including Web portals and news websites etc which are extensively covering the Uttarakhand socio-political developments and burning issues being in the national capital through their newspapers , magazines, Web portals and news websites so that a formidable policy could be made to resolve their grievances making things easier for them.

However, he said that the situation in Uttarakhand in terms of giving advertisements etc to newspapers, portals etc is very grim as there are more than 1400 papers and news portals etc and three thousand already in the pipeline who have recently applied for registration and empanelment this year.

Though this seemed to be a healthy first initiative of calling the Uttarakhand journalists active in Delhi hailing from digital media and small and medium newspapers etc at the behest of Govind Singh majority of the journalist were disenchanted for never entertaining them during the last twenty five years since the Uttarakhand came into existence with professional inputs nor had the successive chief ministers of Uttarakhand had ever bothered to invite them for interactions or giving them support for their survival though in case of other states whenever the respective State CMs visit Delhi the Delhi journalists are duly entertained with professional inputs and given all the facilities including the respect they deserve in their capacity as Delhi journalists.

Several journalists complained that while in Uttarakhand the regional newspapers, web portal and news websites are being entertained by way of giving them advertisements with lakhs of rupees every year , the Webportals, news websites and newspapers giving due coverage to Uttarakhand news from Delhi are sidelined and considered as journalists of no credibility/ credence and reputation.

The journalists expressed the dire need for the Uttarakhand government to formulate a comprehensive new policy to make the empanelment convenient for all newspapers with least complexities and Webportals including those in Delhi in order to help the fourth estate , an important pillar of democracy survive and report political, social, cultural and all forms of news of Uttarakhand extensively.

Hearing the views, the Chairman of the Uttarakhand CM’s Advisory Council/ Committee Govind Singh assured the journalists present to air their grievances to the chief minister and concerned higher ups to ensure that their majority of the grievances are met forthwith despite the situation in Uttarakhand too grim monetarily and hoped that such meeting will further take place in Delhi for more and more healthy interactions to resolve all complexities.

Those who attended these deliberative meeting were Journalists Sunil Negi, Vyomesh Jugran, Amar Chand, Vinod Dhondiyal, Mrs. Sushma Jugran Dhyani, Mahendra Bora, Satyendra Singh Rawat, Neeraj Baawri , Neeraj Joshi, CB Tamta, Usha Negi, Kishore Chand Thapliyal, Harish Rawat, Yogendra Singh Bisht, etc. Everyone shared their problems and suggestions and demanded to take concrete steps to strengthen small newspapers and magazines.