RAIPUR, Mar 17 : Geetartha Pathak and Sabina Inderjit have been re-elected as Indian Journalists Union (IJU) president and secretary general respectively during the 10th Plenary in Raipur, Chattisgarh, on Friday.
Pathak and Inderjit stood unopposed, making their re-election as head of country’s largest journalists union.
The IJU president in his opening remarks said, the journalists, media, and the journalism itself never have faced such a formidable challenge as we are experiencing during last eight years.
“IJU is relentlessly fighting for the rights of journalists, freedom of media, better working condition for the media persons and for freedom of speech for all the citizens of the country since its inception,” Pathak said.
Stating that, divisive trend in journalists unions is an area of great concern, he called for unity among journalists of the country for promotion of free press.
IJU is spreading from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from Northeast to Andaman & Nicobar Island, he added.
Pathak also said media or journalism being a vital pillar of democracy needs more support from respective state governments and administrations.
“Although a few state government came up with medical welfare schemes for journalists many state has not taken any such initiative. Since journalism is a profession with many risks to their life and health, the government and the media employers should work out for compulsory insurance for all journalists,” he added.
Addressing the gathering, Sabina gave a clarion call to IJU members and state leaderships to gear up and change their outlook as unions to meet new challenges.
“Media industry is too going dramatic changes. We are in the digital age now, surpassing print and electronic media, and therefore we need to gear up and change our outlook as unions to meet new challenges,” she added.
Sabina, who is also the vice president of International Federation Journalists (IFJ) expressed her concern over growing attacks on journalists.
“Governments, both State and Central used the pandemic to gag the media from reporting ground situation; the DMA and Epidemic Act was brazenly misused to clamp down on independent reportage; there’s a clamp down on social media too with a skewed digital draft policy, which has been challenged in courts. There’s a chilling effect with FIRs filed or journalists are jailed for their writings and posts by using draconian Acts like NSA, UAPA etc,” she added.
While stating that Indian media is going through its trials and tribulations like other countries under nationalist governments, she called the journalists to fight the dangerous trend.
Earlier, the two-day national level Plenary meetings was inaugurated by Chattisgarh Chief Minister Bupesh Baghel.
Addressing the inaugural session, CM Baghel said, “Chattisgarh cabinet today gave approval to the draft Bill on the law prohibiting attacks on journalists (Journalists Protection Act).”
The decision was taken in the meeting of the state cabinet on Friday chaired by CM Bupesh Baghel.
“The cabinet has given its nod to a bill concerned with the prevention of violence against journalists and the same will be placed at state assembly for its enactment,” he said.
He also urged the four pillars of democracy – the Legislature, Executive, Judiciary and the Media, to complement each other to strengthen democracy.
“If there is an imbalance among any of these pillars, especially the Media, then it will have an adverse impact on society.”
Around 200 participants from thirteen states are attending the two-day plenary meetings. Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) president Amar Sangno, IJU NEC member Taya Bagang and senior journalist Mukul Pathak also attended the inaugural event.