Info minister announces health cards, houses for journalists

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Fawad Chaudhry, said on Wednesday that the process of reforms started in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting( MoIB) in 2018 was being resumed, ARY News reported.

In a series of tweets, the information minister said he has given a deadline to complete the project of converting the PTV News on HD, which had been lying pending since 2019.

PTV News will be fully converted into HD technology from June, similarly, PTV Sports will also be upgraded to HD technology by the end of the year, he announced.

وزارت اطلاعات میں اصلاحات کا جو سلسلہ 2018 میں شروع کیا تھا اسے وہیں سے دوبارہ شروع کیا جا رہا ہے، #PTVNews کو HD کرنے کا منصوبہ جو 2019 سے التواء میں تھا یکم جون تک مکمل کرنے کی ڈیڈ لائین دی ہے انشاللہ یکم جون سے #PTVNews مکمل HD پر چلاجائیگا، اسی سال #PTVSports بھی HDکریں گے

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) April 21, 2021

The minister further said the government working on an English channel that would be launched soon. He said the studios in Karachi and Lahore will be renovated in public-private partnership mode.

Chaudhry Fawad vowed to transform APP into a digital news agency, adding that steps have been initiated to make PID and its advertisement system paperless.

پرنٹ اور ٹی وی میڈیا سے وابستہ صحافیوں کیلئے وزیر اعظم ہاؤسنگ پراجیکٹ سے ذاتی گھر اور صحت کارڈ کی سہولت دیں گے ، تنخواہوں کی ادائیگی لازمی کرنے کیلئے قانون سازی اور انشورنس لا رہے ہیں، پریس کلب کو سہولتیں دینا بھی میری پالیسی ہو گی۔ Digital Media کو مکمل سپورٹ دیں گے

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) April 21, 2021

He further said that the revival of the film and drama industry was his first priority.

The government will provide the facility of loan up to Rs 50 million to young drama and filmmakers under Kamyab Jawan Programme.

Fawad further announced that said houses under PM’s low-cost housing project and health cards will be provided to both print and television journalists.

The minister said the process of legislation and insurance are being introduced to ensure payment of salaries to journalists, adding that government will fully support digital media.