Hyderabad: The Telangana Working Journalists’ Federation (TWJF) appealed to the state government to address long-standing demands of journalists, including the issuance of accreditations and the implementation of a new health policy.
A delegation from TWJF met newly-appointed Special Commissioner for Information CH Priyanka at the Samachara Bhavan in Hyderabad to congratulate her and discuss key concerns affecting working journalists in the state.
The delegation, which included state general secretary B. Basavapunnaiah and several office-bearers, raised issues related to housing sites, accreditations, health cards, protection laws, wage board implementation, pension for retired journalists, and the functioning of the Media Academy.
TWJF criticised the move to issue accreditation stickers for the fourth time, calling it impractical and disruptive to work. They pointed to severe health issues among journalists and asked that any upcoming government employee health policy be extended to members of the press.
Complaints were also raised about alleged discrimination in training programmes conducted by the Media Academy. The federation said such bias was unacceptable. They also urged the government to implement a pension scheme for retired journalists, similar to those in other states.
On safety, TWJF demanded compulsory night transport facilities for women journalists and a dedicated protection law similar to what exists for government employees.
The federation further pressed for the formation of a media commission to study and resolve the conditions faced by journalists and media houses.
Those present in the delegation included vice-presidents P. Ramachander, Gudiga Raghu, Vijayanand, Thatikonda Krishna, secretaries Saleem, E. Chandrasekhar, B. Jagadeesh, Damodar, B. Rajashekar, and committee members P. Vijaya, Padmanabharao, and K. Lalitha.