Rs94.5m grant for 44 press clubs

LAHORE:On the special direction of caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, a special grant to the 44 press clubs across Punjab for the first time in the history has been disbursed.

A special ceremony was held at the CM’s Office to award cheques among the presidents and general secretaries of the press clubs. Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Federal Minister for Information Murtaza Solangi and Provincial Minister for Information Amir Mir awarded cheques to the press club presidents of tehsils, districts and divisions across Punjab.

The presidents of 44 press clubs were granted cheques worth Rs94.5 million on the whole. Presidents of Multan, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal press clubs and presidents of different districts and tehsils press clubs, including Jhang and Khanewal were also granted cheques.

Addressing the ceremony, the CM stated that it was his utmost strive to do something substantial for the professional journalists. Mohsin Naqvi stated that Lahore Press Club was supported earlier and would be supported in future as well but other press clubs were ignored. For the first time, small press clubs have been awarded this grant.

‘I wish this grant being awarded to the press clubs should be converted into an annual grant so that the press clubs can receive this grant permanently.’ He underscored that journalism is the name of responsibility and honesty. ‘I deem in the capacity of a journalist that a lot of responsibilities rest on us.

Mohsin Naqvi proposed that the journalists should use this grant for the social and digital media platforms and their benefit advantage rests in it. Newspapers had their own market which has reduced. Similarly, the market of TV has to also come down and digital media graph has to come up.

The journalist community have to prepare themselves according to the future needs and requirements. Mohsin Naqvi underscored that the journalist community has to focus on working with the digital media. The journalists will have to attain skills in the digital media.

Federal Minister for Information Murtaza Solangi has termed caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi the second Sher Shah Suri of Punjab.

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