Both these decisions formed part of the Telangana. State Union Working Journalists report presented at the meeting of the National Executive of Indian Journalists Union held at Warangal (Telangana) on February 27-28. A number of ministers and also the speaker of the Telangana legislative Assembly addressed the Executive meeting and announced few welfare schemes for journalists.

The Telangana working journalist's union report recalled that on January 29, the Chief Minister called a meeting of senior journalists and their oganizations to discuss the building of a Journalists Housing Colony in Hyderabad. Senior leader K Sreenivas Reddy, IJU Secretary-General Amar Devulapalli attended the meeting. The Chief Minister said he would construct towers on a hundred acre land without contribution from the journalists in the vicinity of the city. He instructed officials to show available government land in different places in the vicinity of the city to the journalists' leaders. He asked IJU to select a suitable place so that funds would be allocated in the coming budget. He said 2500 flats with a built up area of 1500 sqft would be built within one year having enough space in the colony for future expansion.

The Government reacted positively and initiated steps to fructify our demands. The Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced that a housing colony would be constructed in 50-60 acres of land at Warangal and allotted to eligible working journalists free of cost. He also declared that such colonies would be constructed in all the districts in the state and every working journalist would get a decent and spacious house to live free of cost. The report claimed that it would be the biggest journalists' colony in the world. This is going to become reality because of union's sustained efforts.

The report also gave details of the ambitious health scheme for journalists. Under the scheme, the journalists and their family members including dependent parents would get cashless treatment without any limit at all government super specialty hospitals and empanelled corporate hospitals on par with the government employees. The journalists need not pay any premium. 'This is the best medical facility available to the working journalists anywhere in the country' the report claimed. Journalists have been provided health cards at a function attended by several Telangana Ministers. Representatives of several state unions also enumerated various welfare schemes initiated in their respective states.

The two-day meeting also discussed threats to the security of working journalists, implementation of Wage Board recommendation etc. In his report to the meeting Amar Devulapalli Secretary general of the Indian Journalists Union, reiterated Union's demand for enacting a special law for the safety of Journalists. The report claimed that the security environment for journalists has further worsened. In first week of February this year a journalist was killed in broad day light in Uttar Pradesh. It may be recalled that eight journalists were killed in the country during last year, four of them in Uttar Pradesh alone. Even the journalists working in the national capital of Delhi had to face attacks in the premises of Patiala House Courts where the unruly lawyers attacked journalists on two days, first on February 15 and later on February 17, 2016 and the police remained a mute spectator.

The Union regretted that the attack on journalists took place in the presence of the Delhi police personnel, who sadly remained mute spectators. The IJU has demanded that the government should order an inquiry into the incident and take appropriate and immediate action against the lawyers. The growing incidents of journalists being targeted while carrying out their duties, said the IJU, not only sought to browbeat the media but were an affront to the democratic fibre of the country. The Government, it demanded, must take corrective measures at the earliest.

Union President SN Sinha and Secretary Prabhat Dash raised the matter in the PCI Inquiry Committee meeting at Belgaum, Karnataka on February 16 and the PCI Chairman Justice CK Prasad condemned the incident and called for report from the Delhi police. IJU also demanded that the Press Council should take suo motu cognizance of the attack and take corrective measures to safeguard the journalists from physical attacks and the freedom of the media. Several state unions of IJU held protest demonstrations condemning the lawyers' attack on journalists in Patiala House Courts in Delhi and demanded stringent action against the culprits.

The IJU strongly condemned the murder of Tarun Kumar Mishra, Bureau Chief, Jan Sandesh Times in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, February 13. According to media reports, he was shot by two persons on motor cycle, while he was going to his work place. He was targeted for his writings against the 'mud mafia' which seemed to have the support of the ruling party. He was the fifth journalist to be killed in Uttar Pradesh in the last one year and first murder of journalist in the country this year. On the request of IJU, the Press Council took cognizance of the case and ordered an inquiry.

The report also mentioned that the newspapers in Nagaland carried blank space in Editorial columns on November 16, the National Press Day, to protest against the diktat of the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force, not to carry the news and statements of the underground banned insurgent outfits in the state. On the demand of the IJU members in the council, the Press Council of India held a full council hearing for the first time in its history on December 11 at Guwahati, Assam and directed the Assam Rifles to hold talks with Editors and withdraw the diktat. The Assam Rifles compiled with the order of the Council and withdrew the gag order. (IPA Service)