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Form Committees on Welfare, Health and Social Engagement

Chandigarh: The second major meeting of the Senior Journalists’ Forum was held today at Kisan Bhavan, Chandigarh, drawing an overwhelming response and strong participation from senior members of the journalist community. The meeting marked a significant step towards strengthening collective efforts for the welfare of journalists and active engagement with social, health and cultural issues.

The meeting was presided over by renowned senior journalist S. Sukhdev Singh, with Dr Yashpal Sharma, Head of the Department of Cardiology at PGI, serving as the chief guest and delivering an insightful talk on health and mental well-being.

Tribute to Nalin Acharya

The session began with a solemn tribute to senior journalist and former Press Club President Nalin Acharya, who passed away recently. Members observed a moment of silence in his memory and recalled his immense contributions to journalism and the journalist fraternity.

Health, Positivity and Community Bonding Highlighted

Addressing the gathering, Dr Yashpal Sharma spoke at length about the importance of healthy eating habits, mental positivity, preventive cardiac care, and the role of social and community bonding in maintaining good health. He also interacted with senior journalists, answered their questions and shared the latest medical insights relevant to their age group. The participants widely appreciated his address.

Key Decisions:

• ✅ Pension Committee:
  A committee was constituted to actively pursue pension-related matters for senior journalists, with Surinder Singh Groa as Convener.

• ✅ Medical Facilities Committee:
  To improve access to healthcare and medical facilities, a committee was formed under the leadership of Dr Chander Trikha.

• ✅ Cultural Activities Committee:
  To promote cultural programmes and social bonding, a committee was set up with Shamsher Sandhu as Convener.

• ✅ Group Coordination Committee:
  A separate committee was also created to ensure coordination at different levels of the organisation.

Additionally, the Forum unanimously resolved to organise seminars in the coming days on important social and professional issues. Senior journalist Jungbir put forward this proposal, and a dedicated committee was formed under the leadership of Balbir Jandu for this purpose. On special invitation, Anil Gupta, President of the Tribune Employees Union, addressed the gathering. He shared detailed information regarding pension-related issues, procedures for availing medical assistance and support mechanisms available through the union. He also assured the Forum of the Union’s full cooperation and support in resolving welfare-related matters of senior journalists.

Forum’s  Purpose Emphasised

Forum Convener Jaswant Rana presented the proceedings of the previous meeting. The committee names were proposed by Surinder Singh Groa and were approved unanimously. Veteran journalist Jagatar Singh Sidhu spoke about the growing importance of the Senior Journalists’ Forum in safeguarding the dignity, rights and welfare of senior media professionals.

Several senior journalists shared their field experiences. They stressed the relevance of the Forum, including Keval Bharti, Trilochan Singh, Harish Manav, Shamsher Sandhu, Paramjit Singh Trehan, Davinder Kohli, Balbir Jandu, A.S. Prashar, Balwinder Jammu, and many others.

The meeting concluded on a warm, celebratory note, with a birthday celebration for Balbir Jandu, Rajeshwar Gupta, and other colleagues, marked by a cake-cutting ceremony. S. Sukhdev Singh delivered the vote of thanks.