New Delhi: The Press Council of India (PCI) has set up a sub-committee to look into the retrenchment of journalists during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journalists who were laid off during the March 2020-February 2021 period have been asked to fill up an online form or send an email with the details.
“It may be noted that this is an exercise towards collection of data which is purely an academic exercise and shall form part of Report. It is clarified that study being academic is not intended to provide any relief. Moreover, granting any relief on such matters is not within power and ambit of Press Council of India,” the PCI’s press release said.
The sub-committee comprises PCI members Gurbir Singh, L.C. Bhartiya, Prajnananda Chaudhuri, J.S.Rajput along with journalists P. Sainath and Snehasis Sur as co-opted members.
The PCI is a quasi-judicial statutory authority set up through a parliamentary Act “with the two fold objects of preserving the freedom of the Press and of maintaining and improving the standards of newspapers and news agencies in India”.