Chhattisgarh Media Personnel Security Bill-2023 Passed in Vidhan Sabha | 23 Mar 2023

Why in News?

On 22 March 2023, the Chhattisgarh Media Personnel Security Bill-2023 was presented and passed in the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly. Chhattisgarh is the second state in the country, where the Media Personnel Security Bill has been passed.

Key Points

• It is worth mentioning that on 17 March 2023, the draft of the Chhattisgarh Media Personnel Security Bill-2023 was approved in the meeting of the Council of Ministers in the Committee Room located in the Assembly premises under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
• While discussing with media representatives, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said that all the journalists, whether they are from electronic media, print media or portals, who work in offices and those who work in villages, such people have been brought under the purview of the Chhattisgarh Media Personnel Security Act, so that they can be protected.
• To register those who do not have a letter of preference, if the press says that they are with us and who have written three articles or their story has been published in it within six consecutive months, such people have been brought under the purview of the Chhattisgarh Media Personnel Protection Act.
• If any government employee misbehaves with them, an empowered committee has been formed for their complaint. This committee will be of the state level, which will have journalists, officers, a committee of six people will be formed, which will conduct hearings and will be able to give necessary instructions and a provision has also been made for punishment.
• If someone is not satisfied with the decision of the committee, a provision for appeal has also been kept. But if someone makes a wrong complaint, then the provision of punishment has also been kept for him.
• It is worth mentioning that a drafting committee was formed under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court Justice Aftab Alam, whose members were retired Justice Anjana Prakash, senior Supreme Court advocate Rajuram Chandran, senior journalist Late Lalit Surjan, Prakash Dubey, Chief Minister's advisor Ruchir Garg, Advocate General, Principal Secretary of Law Department, Director General of Police were its members.
• This committee prepared its draft after holding several meetings in the state and Delhi after discussing with various organisations and after that this draft was handed over to the department, after long deliberations by the department, it was given the form of a bill.
• After taking permission from the governor, it was presented in the assembly and this bill was passed in the assembly. Such a bill which is an original bill, and which was presented for the first time in the assembly of Chhattisgarh, the opposition also had to give its opinion in it. However, this bill was passed unanimously.