At a national gathering in Delhi, journalists demanded constitutional recognition, social security, travel concessions, and better support for small newspapers, while honouring Surendra Verma for his contribution to media welfare.
New Delhi, 1 December 2025:
In a powerful show of unity, journalists and media professionals from across the country assembled at Jantar Mantar on Monday for a nationwide protest organised by the Rashtriya Patrakar Mahasangh (RPM). The gathering reiterated a long-standing demand—granting the media sector formal recognition as the “Fourth Pillar of Democracy”.
Among the prominent participants was Mr. Surendra Verma, Editor-in-Chief of Mirror365.com and ChandigarhToday.org. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Verma emphasized that journalists act as the “eyes and ears” of society and the government. He urged the Centre to ensure job security, fair remuneration, pension benefits, and travel concessions across buses, railways, and airlines. He also highlighted the need for sustained advertisement support for small and regional newspapers, noting that a detailed memorandum on these issues has already been submitted to the concerned ministry.
Mr. Verma, who also serves as the Deputy President of the National Media Confederation and National Advisor to the Working Journalists of India (WJI), was honoured at the event by RPM President Pabitra M. Samantaray and other dignitaries in recognition of his commitment and service to media welfare.
The protest witnessed participation from a wide range of journalists, including Ghanshyam Das, Ajesh Kumar, Suresh Chaudhary, Priyavrat Nayak, Tahir Ahmed, Santosh Yadav, Ganga Sahu, Bhanu Pratap Nayak, Seema Dri Rao, Judhishthir Baghi, KD Mishra, Pradeep Pluto, Pawan Bhoot, among other senior journalists who voiced strong support for the movement.
Several distinguished guests also graced the occasion—Devendra Nath Pandey (Delhi Incharge, BMS), Advocate Mathew Nedumpura (Senior Advocate, Bombay High Court), Advocate Asad Alvi (Senior Advocate, Supreme Court), senior columnist Vivek Shukla, Umakant Pandey, UPJA General Secretary Pradeep Sharma, IFSMN President Arun Goyal, Prof. Dr. Ravi Chaturvedi (renowned columnist and cricket commentator), and senior journalist-filmmaker Jawahar Jayanth.
All special guests applauded the journalists’ initiative, emphasising that strengthening the media is essential for safeguarding democratic values and ensuring transparency in governance.
Leave a Reply