Harish Rao promises to raise journalists’ accreditation issues in Assembly

Former Minister T Harish Rao assured the Telangana Union of Working Journalists that the BRS would raise the issue of journalist accreditation cards in the Assembly. He opposed GO 252, saying it unfairly divides journalists and harms their welfare.

Hyderabad: Former Minister and BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao on Thursday assured to raise the issue of accreditation cards in the State Legislative Assembly and demand immediate amendment of GO No. 252, which unfairly divides journalists.

Representatives of the Telangana Union of Working Journalists (TUWJ) called on Harish Rao in Hyderabad and submitted a memorandum seeking rollback of GO 252, introduced by the Congress government. The union representatives pointed out that while nearly 23,000 journalists were granted accreditation under the earlier GO 239, the new GO threatened to strip close to 10,000 journalists of their accreditation.

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Speaking on the occasion, Harish Rao strongly opposed the separate card system introduced under GO 252, which divides journalists into desk journalists and reporters. “Creating divisions among journalists is unacceptable. Desk journalists play an equally important role in news dissemination. Denying them accreditation and offering only identity cards is an insult,” he said.

Accusing the Congress government of neglecting journalist welfare, the senior BRS leader said the move would deprive journalists of key benefits, including health cards, bus passes and accident insurance. He recalled that during the BRS regime, journalists were provided Rs 5 lakh accident insurance with the government bearing the premium, along with support during the COVID-19 crisis.

Calling journalists the fourth pillar of democracy, Harish Rao said reducing accreditation numbers by nearly 10,000 was unjustified. He assured TUWJ leaders of full support and said the BRS would press the government during the ongoing Assembly session to amend GO 252 and ensure justice to journalists.