The NWFP Minister for Information and Inter Provincial Co-ordination Mian Iftikhar Hussain has said that the provincial govt strongly believed in freedom of press and its promotion, and was taking practical steps for the welfare of working journalists. This he stated while chairing a meeting of Journalists Welfare Committee here on Thursday.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Information, Azmat Hanif Orakzai, Director Information Shuaibud Din and Assistant Director Journalistic Affairs Alhaj Zamir Gul Zahid and committee members Shamim Shahid, Arshad Aziz Malik, Ihtisham Toru and Mohammad Ali.
The meeting approved Rs 0.19 million for the medical treatment of 17 working journalists. The meeting decided that the committee would regularly hold its quarterly meeting. The Minister, while elaborating steps taken for the welfare of journalists, said that annual grant of Peshawar Press Club had been raised from Rs 1.5 million to Rs 2.00 million while financial aid for the deserving working journalists had also been increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000.
Similarly he said that Rs 120 million had been approved for construction of Press Clubs in Shangla, Buner, Karak, Tank and Mardan districts. He added that inter provincial tours were being arranged for the journalists and this year Rs 1 million had been spent on the tours of journalists.
Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the government holds in high esteem the freedom of expression and was resolving problems of the journalists on priority. He said that life of journalists was difficult and full of danger, and the government was with them in all the odd hours and will help them accordingly.
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