Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Mar 9: Karnataka deputy chief minister (DCM) Govind Karjol, who noted that chief minister B S Yediyurappa, has already set aside a sum of Rs five crore in the budget for the journalists welfare fund, promised to initiate steps towards getting this grant enhanced.
He was speaking after felicitating the awardees at the valedictory function of the 35th state conference of Karnataka State Working Journalists’ Union organized at the town hall here in association with Dakshina Kannada district working journalists union on Sunday March 8. The programme was organized at the late Vaddarse Raghuram Shetty dais.
The minister said that the state president of the journalists union has informed him that the union has represented to the government seeking a grant of Rs 50 crore for the welfare of the journalists. He said he will honestly strive to increase the grant to the journalists’ welfare fund.
Karjol handed over Karnataka Union of Working Journalists endowment fund awards to Udayavani assistant editor Manohar Prasad, Bengaluru edition deputy chief reporter Laxminarayana, Byndoor stringer Arun Kumar Shirur, and veteran journalist Thimmappa Bhat, apart from Anand Shetty, Padmaraj Dandavathi, Pe Na Gopal Rao, G N Mohan and
a few others.
BJP Karnataka state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, hailed the journalists for being the voice of the society and the common people. Former state minister B Ramanath Rai, exhorted the journalists to become the voice of the weaker sections of the society. MLC Ivan D'Souza, former minister Krishna Palemar and Mumbai-based journalist Rons Bantwal, participated as chief guests.
President of Karnataka State Working Journalists’ Union Shivananda Tagadur, presided. Union's Dakshina Kannada unit district president Srinivas Nayak Indaje, welcomed. Indian Federation of Working Journalists Unions president B V Mallikarjunaiah, Asia unit convener H B Madana Gowda, Karnataka unit general secretary H C Lokesh, D K unit general secretary Ibrahim Adkasthala, Press Club president Annu Mangalore, Patrika Bhavan Trust president Anand Shetty, convener of the conference, Bala Jagannath Shetty and others were present. P B Harish Rai hosted the programme.