‘Salaries of journalists should be hiked after media houses collect 40pc profit’

LAHORE: Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has censured the media houses’ owners for not hiking salaries of the working journalists despite witnessing an increase in profits up to 35 to 40 per cent.

Fawad Chaudhry made the statement while addressing a press conference at Lahore Press Club on Sunday in which he distributed Sehat Cards among journalists and felicitated them on achieving this reward.

He said that the federal government will provide state-of-the-art healthcare facilities to the journalists and their families. The information minister added that the families of journalists and members of press clubs in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be given health facilities up to Rs1 million at both government and private hospitals.

Chaudhry said that journalists throughout Pakistan will be provided subsidised houses under the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme.

The government has borne the health expenses of all journalists, providing state-of-the-art healthcare facilities to journalists, said Chaudhry Fawad.

ہر میڈیا ہاؤسز کا 35 سے 40 فیصد منافع بڑھ گیا ہے لیکن صحافیوں کی کئی کئی سال سے تنخواہیں نہیں بڑھائی گئیں. میری گزارش ہے میڈیا مالکان ورکنگ جرنلسٹس کا بھی خیال کریں.@fawadchaudhry pic.twitter.com/8Hnd5GEKFI

— Fawad Chaudhry (Updates) (@FawadPTIUpdates) January 16, 2022

He opined that the private sector involved in the health and education sectors was imperative to resolve the problems.

The health card programme, he said will provide an opportunity for the private sector to invest in the health sector as the people want better treatment and healthcare. He said the health card programme will benefit middle and white collared classes.

He lamented that instead of starting such welfare schemes in Sindh, the provincial government was spending money on the construction of private buildings.

Fawad Hussain said that a doctor had been appointed in Karachi on a salary of Rs 7. 6 million which was regrettable as all hospitals and health systems of Sindh had been ruined.

He said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had decided to provide equal health facilities to all segments of the society. “We are providing equal treatment facilities without differentiating between rich and poor,” said the minister.

He said after Lahore, journalists from Islamabad and journalists affiliated with all press clubs would be provided healthcare facilities via the health insurance card.

The minister urged the Sindh government to join the health card programme. Journalists have also been included in the Prime Minister’s Low-Cost Housing Scheme, Chaudhry Fawad said adding that all journalists could fulfill their dream of home by getting loans under this scheme.

He said that loan would be given for five marla house out of which Rs 300,000 would be the subsidy by the government.

The minister said that to remain relevant print media will have to move towards digitization as in the future, digital media will replace formal media. He revealed that during the last three years, advertisements worth Rs 12 billion had shifted from formal media to digital media.

The minister said that 5G technology would bring a new revolution and the current media model should be ready for this change. He promised that like Karachi Press Club, Lahore Press Club will also be turned into a digital media lab as the government wanted to provide learning opportunities to journalists.

He said 100 big companies made a profit of Rs 929 billion on the stock exchange, whereas media houses made 35 to 40 per cent profit.

He said that due to profit earning, the media owners and companies should increase the salaries of their workers. “Today our industries are fully functional, the farmer is prosperous as Rs 1100 billion has been transferred to the agriculture sector and the economy is growing at a rate of 5 per cent,” said Chaudhry Fawad Hussain.

He acknowledged that there were problems for the salaried class and the private sector should play its role to resolve these problems. “Prosperity of working journalists is necessary, we have to work for it,” he said.

So far, the PTI government had repaid a $32 billion loan during the past three years, he said that owing to the bad governance and plunder of the past rulers, the country was facing inflation today, how can we ignore them.

“Those who fled after looting and plundering the national exchequer are now giving lectures on the economy today,” Chaudhry Fawad stated.