The Governing Council under the chairmanship of Sri Allam Narayana, Telangana State Press Academy has resolved to strive promoting higher professional standards among Journalists by conducting training classes and to develop research wing to record history of Telangana Journalist movement and Telangana Journalism. Dr. K.V.Ramana Chary, Advisor to the Government, Media Affairs, participated as Chief guest in the Governing Council meeting of Telangana State Press Academy, held today at Tourism Plaza, Hyderabad.
After the meeting, The Chairman while briefing the press said that the Academy is contemplating to design separate professional syllabus for working journalists belonging to print and electronic media. The syllabus on media with separate entities with Telangana ideology will be developed. The history of Telangana journalist movement will be recorded for future use. The Journalists of Telangana has played a major role during the period from 1996 to 2014 viz till the achievement of Telangana State, he said. The Academy will record and create a data bank regarding the Telangana statehood struggles of 1969 and again from 1996 to 2014 for the future generations, which will be useful as reference material, he said.
The Governing Council has resolved to constitute four sub-committees.
- Welfare Committee: Mallepally Laxmaiah, eminent Journalist, CR Gowri Shanker, Political Editor, Deccan Chronicle, Narayana Reddy, CEO T News, Venugopal, Editor, Veekshanam, Zaheeruddin Ali Khan, Managing Director, Siasat and K.Anjaiah, Senior Journalist, Andhra Jyothi.
- Archives Committee: Venkat Rao, Station Director, Doordarshan, Uday Shanker, Station Director, AIR, N.Venugoopal, Editor Veekshanam.
- Syllabus Committee: N.Venugopal, Editor Veekshanam. Srinivas, Editor, Andhra Jyothi, Stevenson, HOD, OU, Satti Reddy, HOD, Telugu University.
- History of Telangana Committee: Tankshala Ashok, Eminent Journalist, K.Srinivas, Editor, Andhra Jyothi, N.Venugopal, Editor Veekshanam, Zaheeruddin Ali Khan, Managing Director, Siasat.
- Electornic media Syllabus Committee: This Committee will be headed by Sri Narayana Reddy, CEO T News.
The Governing Council has also approved the Bye-laws of the Academy and its LOGO. The body has also resolved to bring out a quarterly bi-lingual house journal by the Academy to highlight its activities. Experts Journalists will also contribute articles useful to budding journalists on important topics in Journalism.
The Governing Council also resolved to start conduct of Mofussil Journalist training classes from the month of April this year. The Academy will enter into a MoU with Telugu University and MANAU to sponsor working journalists who intends to prosecute 2-year MCJ Course by contributing 25 percent of the total fees for Telugu and Urdu Journalists respectively from this year onwards. Further, the Academy will sponsor working journalists to undergo 3-month courses like 1.Digital production techniques in Media and 2. Photo Journalism, in association with J.N. Architecture and Fine Arts University, Hyderabad, he informed.
Dr.K.V.Ramana Chary, Advisor to the Government, Media Affairs in his inaugural address said that the State Government is committed to extend welfare measures including Housing, Health and other benefits to the Journalists besides sanctioning Rs.ten crores towards the Telangana State Welfare Fund.
He further informed that the Journalist Welfare Fund will be added with Rs.ten crores every year and make the corpus fund up to Rs.100 Crores in ensuing years, as announced by the Chief Minister. The amount will be fixed deposited in a nationalized bank, which offers highest rate of interest. The accrued interest will be utilized for the Journalist’s welfare. A committee to be constituted for the purpose will decide the quantum of financial assistance to the journalist or his/her family based on case merits. Terming the government as sympathetic towards Journalists, he said that the Press Academy would be provided with necessary budget to implement the activities proposed by the Governing Council.
He appealed all the Governing Council members to offer constructive ideas to strengthen the Academy and its activities. He also asked to record the history of Telangana movement and the role played by the Journalists in achieving separate statehood.
“It gives me immense pleasure to note that the Journalists and writers who wrote volumes about the Telangana movement and participated in it are now the members of Governing Council of Telangana State Press Academy”, he observed.
Sri LLR Kishore Babu, Secretary, TSPA, Hyderabad proposed a vote of thanks.