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Private newspapers feel, Administration should stop funding ‘The Daily Telegrams’ if it really wishes to support private newspapers Port Blair, Feb. 25: Every month the Administration pays nearly 22 to 30 lakhs rupees to the Administration’s mouthpiece ‘The Daily Telegrams’ as advertisement charges against government advertisements, which are released by various departments of A&N Administration. All kind of Government advertisements like Tender, Quotation Notices, Employment Notices etc are being published in ‘The Daily Telegrams’ without miss whereas the private dailies are given 16 to 20 government advertisements in a month, which costs not more than Rs. 20,000/- approximately.
It was cleared by the Chief Secretary A&N Administration, the Secretary (IP) that the A&N Administration and the islanders get most of the inputs and crucial information from private newspapers, which acts as ears and eyes for the Administration. Whereas the ‘The Daily Telegrams’ publishes only press notes and minutes of government programmes, which actually has zero News Value. Moreover the ‘The Daily Telegrams’ neither publishes any Editorial nor ‘Letter to the Editor’ and the paper in which it is printed is one of the costliest white board available in the market. Inspite of all these the Administration’s mouthpiece is provided with govt. ads worth 22 to 30 laksh Rupees per months, which is a sheer mis-utilization of public funds.
“The Administration believes that publishing all government tenders in the Government run newspaper would minimize the chance of manipulation of government tenders and quotations notices and for this all government advertisement must be published in ‘The Daily Telegrams’. If this is the only reason, why should The Daily Telegrams be paid for the Tenders Notices/ Employment Notices published for just checking manipulation”, the owners of Pvt. Newspapers expressed.
The local media persons also believe that if Administration stops paying ‘The Daily Telegrams’, fund could be diverted to support the small newspapers in the islands which are on the verge of dying. It was therefore an appeal of the Private local newspapers that the Hon’ble Lt. Governor and Chief Secretary should give this matter a serious consideration. |
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