SHILLONG, Sept 11 - A Press Council of India (PCI) sub-committee on advertisement on Monday said here that it would recommend a �special Directorate of Advertisement and Visual Publicity (DAVP) advertisement rate� for regional newspapers of the region.
Convener of the sub-committee, Gurinder Singh, and member, Prabhat Dash, said that among various the recommendations in its report to be submitted to the chairman of PCI, special DAVP rate for NE-based dailies would be one of them.
Singh and Dash, who met some local publishers and advertisement managers. They will meet State Government officials later during their visit.
According to Singh, the regional newspapers are facing challenges everyday to bring out their publications. �It�s a big challenge, you have been fighting militancy and other issues, through your publications daily,� the PCI convener said.
Singh informed that advertisement policy has not been drafted in many States across the country and in other States, the advertisement policy is outdated.
Meghalaya, for example, follows an advertisement policy from 1983. Although the Meghalaya Government has stated that it would frame a new policy, the promise has not been kept so far.
Singh said that they would take up the issue with the Meghalaya Government during their meeting on Tuesday. Other issues that would top the agenda are increase of advertisement rates periodically.
�The DAVP rates and also the State advertisement rates should be increased periodically. We would be taking up the issue with officials and would also include the recommendation in the report,� Singh added.
The report after being handed to the PCI chairman would be subsequently presented to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for necessary action.
