JKPA serves ‘Legal Notice’ to Information Department

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Press Association has served legal notice to the State Information Department for introducing harsh clauses into the Advertisement Policy-2016.
The statement issued here on Tuesday by JKPA reads that it was during the Gubernatorial Rule that an Advertisement Policy-2016 was promulgated, which set up waves of resentment and bitterness among the Media Houses across the State of J&K. “To add salt to the injury, the Directorate of Information later introduced several harsh Clauses into the said Policy without foreseeing their repercussions and ill-effects on the Small Scale Newspapers,” the statement.
The concerned Authorities seem to have forgotten that the Directorate of Information was created by the government to generate cordial relations with the Public through the medium of Print and Electronic Media, but it failed utterly to fulfill its mandate. It has rather widened the gap between the government and the Media. Thus the very purpose for the establishment of the said Department stands defeated.
While observing the rough contours of the Media Policy of the State Information Department and having no effect of several representations made by the JK Press Association on the concerned Authorities, the Members of the JKPA through their President G.Hassan Kaloo, have served a Legal Notice to the State Information Department, Copy thereof among others to the Governor, the Chief Minister, the Chief Secretary and the Director Information, challenging the directions contained in the letter No: ID/A/22/2017 Dated: 25-05-2018 addressed to the Director Information & PR J&K government by the Under Secretary to government Information Department.
The methodology adopted in awarding Points to the ownership of Printing Presses, Number of Employees with EFP Account and Subscription to ESI of all employees and implementation of Majithia Wage Board is irrational, illogical and devoid of ground realities. The Printers and Publishers of the affected newspapers have limited financial resources and as such can ill-afford afford to install their own Printing Presses, costing crores of rupees besides the employees working in their offices are mostly Part-time workers, who work in several offices at a time, and hence application and implementation of EFP, ESI and Majithia Wage Board conditions and scoring Points on account of the said conditions does not arise.
Hence the concerned Authorities have been asked to initiate discussion and debate the contents of the Advertisement Policy-2016 and the Clauses and conditions introduced later on with the JKPA besides fixing deadline for the submission of the Format forming Annexure A to the above cited letter needs to be withdrawn till issues involved are sorted out.