IT News
Imphal, April 28:
Failure to pay the pending Advt. bill by the state government has prompted the journalists and publishers’’ fraternity to take up extreme measures by boycotting all govt. news. As a result all electronic and print media of the state had killed an important new story of a govt. event organized by the state home department in connection with the war against drug at City convention here in Imphal.
“As journalist we do accept that, killing of government story is very much violation of the right to information to the general public. And we as journalist never ever like to miss out any news stories of the government, because those are the story in demand by the readers”, a senior journalist told Imphal Times.
Why the DIPR is not clearing the pending Bill of newspapers and electronic media? Does those govt. departments whom the advertisement were published by the DIPR failed to deposit the money meant for payment to the newspapers and electronic media? Or does someone in the DIPR intentionally doing it to defame the N. Biren Sing 2.0 government in the state? So many questions and Imphal Times when enquired to some department, it has been found that some department did deposited the money and it is the authority of the DIPR (Directorate of Information and Public Relation) that is holding the payment.
To mention one department – i.e. Industries department, the amount for advertisement of North East Expo & Business , the industries department had deposited a sum of Rs. 1,35,172 for three newspapers to the SBI Secretariat branch in last week of March this year. As for two newspapers they paid to their respective bank account. This is one single finding that Imphal Times is exposing. There are more such documents with the Imphal Times.
The DIPR authority received document for depositing the money on March 25, 2022. And till today the payments which were supposed to be made is still kept by blaming the Industries department. AMWJU, MHJU, Publishers and EGM had started boycotting the BJP, Congress and State Government demanding clearance of the pending advertisement bill. The Congress and the BJP had assured to clear the pending Bill and the BJP had started paying the Bill, thus lifting the boycott to both the party. However, no response is made till the filing of this story by the Government.
“There are also reports about some staffs in the DIPR, displacing Bill submitted to the DIPR for payment of the bill amount. Already submitted bill are told to submit once more to some newspaper”, a newspaper publisher told Imphal Times.
He added that this is nothing but an attempt to defame and sabotage the image of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh led government.
