Info Ministry directed to ensure salary payment to media workers

ISLAMABAD, May 23 (APP):Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on Thursday directed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to vigorously play its role in ensuring payment of salaries to media workers by the media houses before Eid-ul-Fitr and devise a mechanism to avoid such situation in future.

The Committee meeting chaired by Senator Faisal Javed, directed the Information Ministry and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to link employees’ payments with clearance of advertisement charges by government to TV channels.

President National Press Club Shakil Karar, President Parliamentary Reporters Association Behzad Saleemi and General Secretary MB Soomro briefed the committee about the plight of journalist community and media workers.

They said journalists’ families were facing hardships. The media houses should be directed to pay outstanding salaries before Eid-ul-Fitr to help journalists to celebrate the festival.

They handed over a nine point charter of demands to committee members.

They asked the members to play their role in resolving the issues of journalist community.

The committee directed the ministry and media representatives to prepare a list of journalists, who had not yet been paid and submit report the in next committee meeting.

Faisal Javed lauded government’s decision of clearing outstanding advertisement charges of private TV channels which were aired against Prime Minister Imran Khan by PML-N government.

The Director Finance PTV told the committee that PTV owed Rs 1.9 billion outstanding dues of its pensioners. Rs 439 million pension commutation had recently been paid to various pensioners. While Rs 700 million would be paid soon. There were 398 pensioners. Out of which the dues of 203 pensioners had already been cleared.

The Committee chairman said 35 rupees fee being recieved by PTV in electricity bills should directly land into PTV’s account.

PTV Director Finance said PTV did not receive the TV fee on those electricity bills, which were paid in instalments.

Earlier briefing the committee Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood said the merger of Urdu Dictionary Board and Urdu Science Board was not possible with National Language Promotion Department as their status were different.

He said the government had no plan to merge provincial departments with federal departments.

Shafqat said the government was making an inventory of historical sites for promotion of tourism.

Chairman PEMRA Saleem Baig told the committee that PEMRA had issued show cause notice to ARY and Channel Five questioning irresponsible reporting on the issue of an Islamabad based girl Farishta, who was killed by unscrupulous elements.

PEMRA has issued 48 show cause notices to various TV channels on different allegations, he added.

Senator Mushtaq Ahmed said the committee should be briefed about measures taken to get CSS examination in Urdu.

The committee directed the ministry to give exclusive briefing on the issues of Radio Pakistan (Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation) to the committee.

Secretary Information and Broadcasting Shafqat Jalil briefed the committee about upgradation of sub editors of PBC. He said the sub editors would be upgraded before Eid-ul-Fitr.

He said 27 former employees of PBC had been given pension commutation out of 180 pensioners. Supplementary grant had already been sought from finance ministry and hopefully their dues would be cleared by June 30, 2019.