National Council meeting of the Association of Small and Medium Newspapers of India concluded successfully at conference hall of Journalist Union Of Assam, Guwahati on 27th June 2009. Mr. T.G. Baruah, chairman of the Assam Tribune Group was chief guest. The problems of small and medium newspapers were discussed. The details of the meetings with the minister of I & B Mrs. Ambika Soni and the Principle D.G. of PIB Mrs. Neelam Kapur were also discussed. General Secretary of the association Mr. Ashok Chaturvedi welcomed the guests, giving details of the activities of the association. Mr. Suresh Garodia welcomed the guests in the traditional assami way. In the inaugural speech Mr. T.G. Baruah said that small and medium newspapers play an important role in the developing society. Small and medium newspapers are not getting required help from government. They are discriminating while giving advertisements and other facilities.
In the meeting Mr. Keshav Dutt Chandola announced national excutive as Mr. B.R.Kumar (Rashtriya Buniyad HW, Mumbai)- Vice President, Mr. Ashok Chaturvedi (Amarjyoti HW, Jaipur)- General Secretary, Mr. Arif Jamal (New Observerpost HD, Delhi) -Secretary, Mr. P.Vishnumurthy (Janmitra TW, Yenam)- Organising Secretary, Mrs. Bhagwati Chandola (Lok Sahitya Varta HF, Kanpur) Treasurer and Mr. Shiv Chandra Agnihotri (Loksindhu HW, Kanpur), Mr. Sanjiv Jain (GTB Times HD, Delhi) and Mrs Mangipudi Aruna (Gudi Ganta TW, Rajahmundry) as member of national council. He also announced state presidents for Assam- Mr. Suresh Garodia (Purvanchal Abhimat AW, Guwahati), Rajasthan- Mrs. Asha Patel (Garibon Ka Setu HF, Jaipur), Punjab- Mr. U.K.Sharda (Egalitarian EW Ludhiana) and for Gujrat- Mr. Gulab K. Bhati (Loksangh GW, Palanpur). Mr. Chandola said that the presidents for other state will be announced soon after getting the consent of the member of respective states. The members of Andhra Pradesh requested to organize a meeting at Tirupati so that the unit of Andhra Pradesh and southern states could be formed. The member expressed surprise over the hindrance in mobile services. The members from all over the country unaware that their mobile will not work in the eastern states. After the meeting, a seminar on the Role of small and medium newspapers in the development of the society was organized jointly by the association and Journalist Union of Assam. Senior journalist, former President of Assam Sahitya Sabha and publisher of Daily Agradoot Mr. Kanaksen Deka was chief guest. In the seminar, Mr. Geetartha Pathak, president of JUA, said that the home ministry has stopped std services in that part of the country which has been a problem for people there. The rural telephone services of Bangladesh and China are active and can use very easily these services. Regional people are facing unnecessary problems but terrorists have all available services. Eastern Development Council had been completely unsuccessful in the carrying out responsibilities. He said that the small and medium newspapers play an important role in the solving the problems of regional people and people have more expectation from them. Mr. Kanaksen Deka said that all the newspapers of eastern states have progressed a lot these newspapers have come in the medium categary from small. But the problems of advertisements, payments have still not improved. Only 35 percent net income is spent in these states. Because of this, eastern states are still not able to develop. There is a lot of corruption and people are unhappy. He said country should have informed about these states so that the people here dont have to give proof of their nationality. Many senior journalist including Mr. Suresh Garodia, S.C.Sarma, P. Vishnumurthy, Jasim Raja and other office bearers expressed their own views in the seminar. Regional journalists hounored the guests and office bearers of the association in traditional assami way. General Secretary gave a vote of thanks and expressed his gratefulness towards JUA and its president Mr Geetarth Pathak for organizing the meeting and seminar. K.D.Chandola, President Association of Small and Medium Newspapers of India.
