The true test of a robust democracy is the independence of its media, Indian Newspaper Society (INS) president Akila Urankar said Friday, expressing concern over the rising cases of violence against journalists across the country.
Speaking at the 79th Annual General Meeting of the INS, Urankar urged the central government to sternly deal with those involved in attacks on media and provide protection to journalists to ensure free and fair reporting.
At the same time, she said India's "vibrant media" remains the most free in South Asia.
"However, of late there has been an increase in the number of attacks and murders of journalists, besides defamation cases against media have also gathered momentum as well," said the president of INS, an apex organisation of the print media industry.
"I call upon the government to sternly deal with such situations and ensure security and protection to the press and thereby ensure free and fair reporting," she said.
Urankar said as president of the INS she has taken up a range of issues such as tender advertisements, updating of readership profile, FDI in digital media companies and Print Media Advertisement Policy with the government.
She said the print industry in India continued its growth story, despite its decline in other developed economies, with increasing circulation and readership making the largest market globally.
This development, she said, is seen primarily in more vernacular consumption than for the English language with publishers focusing specially on local needs.
However, she pointed out that in the year gone by, the profit margins of newspapers across the country have eroded due to declining growth of advertising revenues, stiff competition from other media, a steep increase in the cost of newsprint and introduction of GST at five per cent on the advertising revenues of the print industry.
"The print industry is facing headwinds with increasing newsprint prices which is because of the increasing raw material cost and China imposing a ban on import of paper waste, in its campaign against environmental pollution and hence has become a net importer. Publishers have seen a spike of 40 to 50 per cent and scarcity and price increase poses a major challenge to the industry," she said.
Stressing on the urgent need for innovation and transitioning to the needs of the younger generations to continue staying relevant, Urankar said that the Society has taken up the matter where the government had done away with the need for publishing tender notices in newspapers and replaced it with mandatory e-publishing of advertisements on Central Public Procurement Portal (CPPP).
"Vide an Advisory dated June 14, 2018, it has been stated that the administrative ministries/departments are free to decide on the advertisement of the tender notices in newspapers based on the merit of the case, and the earlier Advisory issued by BOC stand withdrawn," she said.
She also said that the matter of interim hike in DAVP advertisement rates has been taken up with the ministry of Information and Broadcasting and it has been impressed upon that with sharp escalation in input costs, a rate hike is "justified."
"I am pleased to inform that a New Rate Structure Committee has been formed and the recommendations and award should follow in the coming months. The Society has voiced its concerns to the Ministry of I & B in respect of the provisions in the Print Media Advertising Policy of the Government of India 2016 regarding furnishing ABC/RNI certificates for 45,000 copies and above is not reasonable," she said.
She also appealed to the government to do away with constituting the wage board mechanism for determination of wages for journalists and non-journalists employees in newspaper establishments, as it goes against the very grain of free markets.
There is no rationale for persisting with such boards for print media, she said.
"There is no other industry which is governed by wage boards set up by the government. It must be left to the management of the individual establishments," she said.
She also noted that the National Green Tribunal in a recent judgement upheld that tax on advertising cannot be levied.
Jayant Mammen Mathew, Executive Editor of Malayala Manorama, was elected as the president of the INS at the general body meeting of the organisation for the year 2018-19.
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