Rajasthan journalists prepare for IFWJ session at Jaisalmer
Rajasthan journalists prepare for IFWJ session at Jaisalmer
JAIPUR : The presidents and secretaries from 24 out of 33 district units of the Rajasthan union (IFWJ) on Monday (3 July), had met at the spacious pancahayat conference room here and converted themselves into a Reception Committee for the 71st session of the IFWJ national council (23-26 September 2016). State president Jagdish Jaiman, Virendra Singh Rathore and Mukesh Chaudhury, president and general secretary of the Pink city Press Club, executive members Mukesh Pareek, Waseem Kureshi and Rahul Bhardwaj were among the participants. First time such a meeting of IFWJ’s state units was held which journalists from border districts of Ganganagar to Jaisalmer attended.
In his address to the Jaipur meeting from Lucknow, through the video conferencing, IFWJ president Com. K. Vikram Rao said that the struggle for securing Majjithia wage scales will have to be launched in the states because the Supreme Court on 14 July may ask the various State labour departments to force the newspaper proprietors to implement the award. Hundreds of newspaper employees were betrayed by filing the so-called contempt petitions. It became only a mode of extortion of vakeel’s court fees.
The meeting reiterated its demands for journalist safety, medical, housing, and pension facilities and also strict action by the Rajasthan state labour department to secure the Majithia wage scale for working journalists.
Pink City Press Club president Virendra Singh Rathore who was also the general secretary of the IFWJ unit in Rajasthan (2005-2006) described himself as a disciplined solider of the IFWJ. His General Secretary Mukesh Chaudhury urged young journalists to join the IFWJ in large numbers. Veteran Anil Dadhech coined a slogan regarding the Union : “Make it strong in Rajasthan.”
Senior trade union leader Satya Pareek who conducted the meeting referred to a bogus meeting last month of some fake journalists, including a vakeel Pandey from Delhi under the so-called banner of the IFWJ. It was a patent fraud played on the mediapersons, Satya Pareek said.
IFWJ vice president Upendra Singh Rathore also said that the recent DAVP policy of the Union Government harmed the small and medium newspapers and must be changed. He said that elaborate programme has been prepared for the visiting 500 IFWJ delegates, coming to the national council session in September-end. The town bordering Pakistan’s Sindh province is famous for camel safari. Khilji emperor of Delhi Allah-ud-Deen had surrounded in vain the fort here for six years. The Rajput bravely fought him. Delegates will be taken round the historic fort. State general secretary S.N. Gautam demanded immediate withdrawl of the DAVP notice to small and medium newspapers.
Hanumangarh district president Rajkumar Nagal proposed the next meeting of the State Council in his district on August 20 and 21. Among others who addressed the meeting were Prem Sharma (Jaipur), Dr. Muneesh Arora (Udaipur), Umesh Lawadiya (Bharatpur), Vidyadhar Mishra (Hanumangarh), Devi Sahay (Karoli), Nirbahy Gurjar (Tonk), Rajat Khanna (Kota), Ramesh Sharma (Bundi), K.K. Singh (Bikaner), Pralayankar Joshi (Jodhpur) and Goyesh Chaudhury (Dhotapur).
The meeting felicitated senior photo-journalist Surendra Jain Paras for his achievements. Mahesh Acharya through the magic of his camera got news shots of the meeting for the social media. All the participants were taken to a garden party at the Pink City Press Club.
The meeting also mourned the death of the father of a senior journalist Ms. Nirupama Aditya.
IFWJ working committee member Babulal Bharati thanked the participants.
image courtesy: comicsreporter.com
