Chandigarh, September 3: As part of its preparations for finalizing the party's election roadmap, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee's Manifesto Committee held a detailed consultation with representatives of the Punjab and Chandigarh Journalists Union affiliated with the Indian Journalists Union at Punjab Congress Bhawan, Sector 15, Chandigarh. The meeting, chaired by Manifesto Committee Chairman and Member of Parliament Dr. Amar Singh, saw a delegation of senior journalists from print, electronic, digital, and desk media present a 13-point charter of demands on behalf of nearly 5,000 working journalists across the state.
The delegation drew attention to the long-standing neglect of media professionals, noting that existing welfare provisions remain accessible to only a select few rather than the broader journalist community. Key demands included restructuring the current annual pension of 12,000 in line with the Haryana model and extending it universally to accredited field journalists as well as desk and editorial staff, raising health insurance coverage from 5 lakh to 10 lakh with seamless cashless treatment, free bus travel on the Haryana pattern, expansion of the Chandigarh government housing quota from 15 to 50 units, allocation of dedicated housing plots across districts, timely issuance of pending accreditation cards, constitution of a permanent Accreditation Committee, and safeguards against politically motivated FIRs through mandatory preliminary inquiries conducted by an officer of SP rank or above.
Dr. Amar Singh assured the delegation that upon forming the next government, the Congress party would incorporate these legitimate demands into policy and prioritize their implementation.
The Union delegation was led by National President of Indian Journalist Union Balwinder Singh Jammu, Punjab and Chandigarh Journalists Union President Jai Singh Chhibber, Santokh Gill (General Secretary),
Chandigarh Chapter President and State Treasurer Bindu Singh, Jagtar Singh Bhullar (Treasurer, Chandigarh Press Club),Jagsir Singh Sandhu, Davinder Singh Bhangu, Balraj Singh Raja, Mohinder Pal Singh Rai, Nirmal Singh Pandori (Barnala), Amarjit Singh Bains (Ropar), and Palwinder Singh .
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