Members of the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) on Friday (October 2, 2026) demanded a special law to ensure the safety and security of working journalists and urged the government to restore the Working Journalists Act.
In response to the IJU’s call to observe October 2 as ‘Demands Day’, the Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) organised a motorcycle rally in Vijayawada. They paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at New Bridge Centre and raised slogans pressing for their demands.
Union’s secretary-general D. Somasundar called for the appointment of a Media Commission to study the state of the media in the country, a special law for the safety of journalists and media organisations, the restoration of the Working Journalists Act, and the constitution of a Wage Board for the revision of journalists’ salaries.
APUWJ president I.V. Subbarao said it was unfortunate that the coalition government had failed to fulfil assurances given to journalists during the elections, despite completing two-and-a-half years in the office. He said the government had promised house sites and housing for journalists but there had been no progress on the issue.
He demanded immediate restoration of the journalists’ accident insurance scheme and a tripartite monitoring mechanism to address problems in implementing the Working Journalists Health Scheme. He also sought a pension scheme for senior journalists in Andhra Pradesh, pointing out that 15 States were already providing pensions to retired journalists.
Later, a delegation met Vijayawada Central MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao and submitted a memorandum seeking action on the issues.
Published – October 03, 2026 12:23 am IST
