State govt ready to amend GO 252 for accreditation cards
Hyderabad: Information and Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said the state government is ready to amend GO 252 to address concerns raised by journalist unions over accreditation cards. He made the assurance during a meeting with representatives of 14 journalists’ unions on Saturday, where several suggestions and proposals were placed before the government.
The minister said all representations will be reviewed before making decisions, including making necessary amendments to GO 252.
Referring to residential areas for journalists, Srinivas Reddy recalled that the Congress government, soon after assuming office, resolved a decades-old problem by transferring the land to the Jawaharlal Nehru Journalists Housing Society. However, after the intervention of the Supreme Court, the matter was restored. He asserted that the government continues to take a constructive approach on the issue and under the guidance of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will create a mechanism that will not face any legal hurdles in the future.
The Minister rejected claims that the number of accreditation cards would be reduced with GO 252 and announced that the current accreditation round would exceed the previous figure of 23,000. Stating that Telangana is among the leading states in terms of accreditation cards, he reiterated the government’s intention to provide these cards to all eligible journalists. In order to ensure fairness and transparency, a scientific study was conducted, various review meetings were held, the rules and regulations followed throughout the country were examined, which caused some delay in the issuance of new cards.
He explained that there is no difference between media cards and accreditation cards, and that all the advantages provided to accreditation card holders will be equally valid for media card holders. He said the government was not rigid in its approach but would collect accurate circulation and relevant details, including verification of chartered accountant certificates, to ensure genuine newspapers and working journalists get justice.
The minister said the government was open to considering accreditation on the basis of population rather than the current mandal system and sought suggestions from journalist unions on this issue. He announced that Urdu journalists will be given representation in accreditation committees and journalists dealing with sports, culture, crime, cable television and other specialized issues will be included in the accreditation process. He assured that a special quota will be introduced for the issuance of accreditation cards upon the request of female journalists.
Telangana Media Academy president K. Srinivas Reddy, I&PR commissioner Ch. CPRO to CM Priyanka and G. Malsur were present at the meeting.
