PCI team meets Nagaland CM

A Sub-Committee team of the Press Council of India met Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio at his residential office on Tuesday and briefed him on the purpose of their visit to the State and highlighted the various problems faced by journalists and media persons in the country, particularly in conflict areas.

According to an official report Chief Minister Rio briefed the team on various issues and the current affairs of the state. He informed that the welfare of the press fraternity in the State is relatively good as compared to other states. Rio also apprised the Sub-Committee members on the steps taken by the State Government for the welfare of the press fraternity.

Another official report said that the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) organised a meeting with the visiting team along with media persons in Kohima on Monday, where the PCI Sub-Committee member Jaishankar Gupta stated that the press faces problems ‘taking side with states or being neutral in printing articles’ in conflict zones. He attributed this to ‘pressure from organization, NGOs or other elements’ while stating that the main purpose of the interaction was to have free and fair discourse on the problems and issues faced by journalists in the line of duty. He also lamented that the welfare of journalists are neglected as till date only few states have implemented welfare schemes for the journalists across the country. He however, acknowledged DIPR’s initiative in providing various welfare schemes to accredited journalists.

Director of the Nagaland IPR Z Tokishe appealed to the PCI members to strongly recommend to the Government of India to implement life insurance and pension schemes for the journalists of Nagaland. He also highlighted the various welfare schemes provided by the Department for the accredited journalists of Nagaland.

The three-member PCI Sub-Committee led by Convener Jaishankar Gupta, along with members Kamal Nain Narang and Pradeep Kumar Jain are on a two-day visit in Nagaland and the team will conduct meetings with various stakeholders, sources said.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here