Criteria discussed; Advt budget hiked to Rs 35 Cr

JAMMU: The official panel for calibrating the criteria for categorization of the empaneled newspapers on Wednesday discussed the criteria to be adopted for the same, as it met under the chairmanship of Director Information Muneer-ul-Islam.
The broad-based committee appointed by the government has been mandated to figure out the parameters for categorization of the newspapers and other periodicals in light of the Advertisement Policy-2016 for release of government advertisements and fixation of rates thereof.
In the meeting it was informed that the revised advertisement rates for the newspapers and other periodicals will be effective following the categorization of the newspapers. The Advertisement Budget which was Rs 30 crore for 2017-18, has also been hiked to Rs 35 crore in the 2018-19 Budget.
Joint Director Information Headquarters, Sajid YehayaNaqash; Joint Director Information Kashmir, Mir Zahoor Ahmad; Joint Director Information Jammu, Naresh Kumar; Deputy Director Information Jammu, Atul Gupta; Deputy Director Information (Central), Avleen Kour Bali; Deputy Labour Commissioner Jammu, Thakur Sher Singh; Manager Ranbir Govt Press Jammu, Kulvir Singh; Coordinator Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIM) Jammu, Manohar Khajuria and Senior Assistant Professor, MERC, Kashmir University Dr Syeda Afshana were also present at the meeting
It may be mentioned here that the government has constituted a broad-based committee to deliberate on the issue of categorization and submit its recommendations to the Empanelment Committee headed by Secretary to the Government, Information Department. The Empanelment Committee will finalize the categorization of the newspapers and other periodicals to implement the new advertisement rate structure announced by the government recently.