Media thrives in Uttarakhand

The number of media publications in Uttarakhand registered a phenomenal growth during the past two years with the state government spending Rs 14.46 crore to sustain them.

Significantly, the number of eveningers, weeklies and fortnight magazines which received advertisements from the government was 351 in the year 2005-06, but it rose to 463 in the year 2006-07 registering an increase of 32 per cent.

For the first time, the government today brought out a complete list of the publications, which received its ads during the past two years.

In a written reply to a question in the state assembly, chief minister B C Khanduri gave a complete list of 523 weeklies, newspapers and magazines published from Dehra Dun and other places of the state.

The figure did not include all those weeklies, news magazines and dailies, which are being published outside the state but received ads from the state government.

Khanduri said during the election year (2006-07 when Congress was in power), the government spent Rs 3.52 crore on advertisements to 36 dailies published from the state while it spent Rs 2.48 crore during the 2005-06 to 25 dailies of the state.

Nearly 487 weeklies, fortnight magazines and other publications which were published from the state received the government advertisements.

When contacted, top officials said the new government has now decided to issue advertisements very sparingly in view of its resolve to follow austerity measures. "We are now issuing ads which are only necessary," the official said.