In a significant decision, The Tripura Cabinet has approved the Second Amendment to the Tripura Advertisement Policy, 2021, introducing important changes aimed at making the state's advertisement distribution system more transparent, inclusive and media-friendly.
Addressing a press conference at the Civil Secretariat on Friday afternoon, Information and Cultural Affairs (ICA) Department Secretary Kiran Gitte accompanied by Director, Bimbisar Bhattacharjee said the amendment reflects the state government's continued commitment to strengthening the media sector, ensuring professional security for journalists and improving the dissemination of public welfare information through various media platforms.
Gitte said the amendment was prepared following the recommendations of a committee constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister to review issues relating to the media. Based on its recommendations, a dedicated sub-committee examined the existing advertisement policy and suggested necessary reforms, which have now been incorporated into the amended policy.
Under the revised policy, the earlier Empowered Advertisement Committee has been replaced by a Media Advisory Committee, comprising representatives from the media fraternity to advise the government on matters related to advertisements.
The amendment also restructures the categorization of media organizations. Instead of the previous A-1, A, B and C classifications, print, television and web media will now be grouped into Large, Medium and Small categories. A new Tabloid category has also been introduced for small daily and weekly newspapers.
The ICA Secretary said the revised policy updates the criteria for media categorization by giving greater emphasis to factors such as circulation, publication period, number of journalists employed and institutional infrastructure. Among organizations classified under the Large category, priority in government advertisements will be given to those with the highest circulation or audience reach.
He expressed hope that the revised policy would benefit both new and existing media organizations while ensuring more effective dissemination of government welfare initiatives. The amended Advertisement Policy has also been uploaded to the department's official website for public access.
During the press conference, Gitte also highlighted several welfare initiatives undertaken by the state government for journalists, including reforms in accreditation and pension policies, capacity-building programmes and skill development workshops. He further announced plans to introduce new Press Jackets and Press Stickers for accredited journalists in the near future.