Jammu, Feb 22: The Urban Development department will be approached to identify land for developing press colonies in Srinagar and Jammu cities to ensure smooth functioning of the fourth estate in the State.
 This was decided at a meeting of officers of Information department chaired by Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary, B B Vyas here today.
 Chief Minister’s Special Secretary, Zaffar Ahmad, Director, Information and Public Relations, Kh. Farooq Renzushah, Joint Director Information Jammu, Soujanya Sharma, Deputy Secretary Ram Sevak, Deputy Director (PR) G H Sheikh, attended the meeting convened to discuss the issues concerning media and the department of Information.
 It was decided that J&K Bank and Universities would be suggested to route the advertisements through the Information department.
 The Government departments have legal obligation to issue advertisements through information department, the meeting was told. Fresh directions should go to the treasury officers not to entertain bills on account of advertisements of any department.
 It was decided that guidelines would be framed for granting State Awards to media persons as well as for providing accommodation to them in New Delhi. These guidelines will be framed in consultation with the directorate of Information.
 The Director, Information will be nodal officer to recommend the journalists for accommodation visiting the union capital solely for professional duties.
 The Director, Information was asked to send a proposal with APRs of the eligible Assistant Information Officers for consideration of promotion on the gazetted vacant posts.
 It was given out that the recruitment rules both for gazetted and non gazetted posts of the Information department are being recast to redesignate the technical staff of the Information department in tune with their present high tech jobs and to facilitate the recruitment of trained and mass communication qualified youths for the posts of reporters. 
 Vyas called for strict compliance to the rules for empanelment and classification of newspapers. He said Planning department would be asked to release the additionality forthwith for meeting the liability on account of advertisements.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 22 Feb 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:00:00 IST