NEW DELHI, June 29:
Departing from the past practice, the Home Ministry is now insisting that journalists accredited with the Press Information Bureau (PIB) will have to get their police verification done every year for renewal, a move that may make it difficult for the scribes to have easy access to central ministries and departments.
The Home Ministry has asked PIB to ensure that all government accredited journalists, numbering over 2,500, must have police verification at the time of yearly renewal of their official card, which gives them uninterrupted access to various ministries and departments. The move is said to be fallout of Petroleum Ministry’s espionage case in which several classified documents were allegedly leaked by ministry staffers to several corporates. Role of some media personnel is also being probed in the case.
“As per the agreed procedure for endorsing of MHA validation on Press Identity Cards issued to media personnel for enabling their entry into the government buildings under MHA security cover, the agreed procedure is that PIB would seek prior approval of Chief Security Officer, MHA for making these endorsements. (PTI)
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