I&PR Minister Ponguleti: State govt ready to amend GO 252 for accreditation cards
Govt open to amending GO 252, assures fair accreditation for journalists
Hyderabad: Minister for information and public relations Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said the state government was ready to amend GO 252 to address the concerns raised by journalists’ unions regarding the issue of 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 that all representations would be examined before taking decisions, including making necessary changes to GO 252.
Referring to housing sites for journalists, Srinivas Reddy recalled that soon after the Congress government assumed office, it had resolved a decades-old issue by handing over land to the Jawaharlal Nehru Journalists Housing Society. However, following the Supreme Court’s intervention, the matter reverted to its earlier status. He maintained that the government continued to adopt a constructive approach on the issue and, under the guidance of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, would work out a mechanism that would not face any legal hurdles in the future.
The minister dismissed claims that the number of accreditation cards would be reduced with GO 252, clarifying that the present round of accreditation would exceed the earlier figure of around 23,000. He stated that Telangana stood among the leading states in the issue of accreditation cards and reiterated the government’s intention to provide them to all eligible journalists. To ensure fairness and transparency, a scientific study was conducted, several review meetings were held, and rules and regulations followed across the country were examined, which resulted in some delay in issuing new cards.
He clarified that there was no difference between media cards and accreditation cards and that all benefits extended to accreditation cardholders would equally apply to media cardholders. He said that the government was not rigid in its approach but would collect accurate circulation and related details, including verification of chartered accountant certificates, to ensure that genuine newspapers and working journalists received justice.
The minister said the government was open to considering accreditation on a population basis rather than the existing mandal-wise system and invited suggestions from journalists’ unions in this regard. He announced that Urdu journalists would be given representation in accreditation committees and that journalists covering sports, culture, crime, cable television and other specialised beats would be included in the accreditation process. On the request of women journalists, he assured that a special quota would be introduced in the issuance of accreditation cards.
Telangana Media Academy chairman K. Srinivas Reddy, I&PR commissioner Ch. Priyanka and G. Malsur, CPRO to CM, were present at the meeting.