Raipur: Geetartha Pathak and Sabina Inderjit have been re-elected as the president and secretary general, respectively, of the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) during the 10th Plenary here in Chattisgarh on Friday.
Pathak and Inderjit stood unopposed, securing their re-election as heads of the country’s largest journalists union.
In his opening remarks, Pathak highlighted the problems faced by the journalists and media, saying they have never faced such a formidable challenge in the past eight years.
He added that the IJU has been fighting for the rights of journalists, freedom of media, better working conditions for media persons, and freedom of speech for all citizens of the country since its inception.
Pathak expressed concern over the ‘divisive trend in journalists’ unions and called for unity among journalists to promote a free press. He noted that the IJU has a presence from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from the Northeast to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The IJU president also emphasized the need for more support from respective state governments and administrations for the media, which is a vital pillar of democracy.
He urged the government and media employers to work out compulsory insurance for all journalists, given the risks to their life and health.
Sabina, on her part, called on the IJU members and state leaderships to gear up and change their outlook as unions to meet new challenges, as the media industry is undergoing dramatic changes in the digital age.
She expressed concern over growing attacks on journalists, with governments using the pandemic to gag the media from reporting on the ground situation.
She also noted a clampdown on social media with a skewed digital draft policy, which has been challenged in courts. She called on journalists to fight against this dangerous trend.
The two-day national-level plenary meeting was inaugurated by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bupesh Baghel, who also announced that the Chhattisgarh cabinet had approved a draft Bill on the law prohibiting attacks on journalists (Journalists Protection Act).
The cabinet approved the bill in a meeting on Friday, chaired by Baghel.
Around 200 participants from thirteen states attended the two-day plenary meetings.
Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) president Amar Sangno, NEC member Taya Bagang, and senior journalist Mukul Pathak also attended the inaugural event.
Also read: Concern over mushrooming news portals in Arunachal
