News Broadcasting
Contract journalists in Kerala to get provident Fund
NEW DELHI: In a significant development that can have ripple effects in the media industry, contract journalists working for the New Indian Express in Kerala will become eligible to provident fund, unlike their counterparts in the rest of the country.
Regional PF Commissioner, Kochi, N.Gopalakrishnan has ordered that the journalists and non-journalist employees working on contract basis in Kochi unit of the New Indian Express are eligible for Provident Fund benefits.
In a 64-page verdict given after an enquiry undertaken as per the Provident Fund Act 1952, the PF Commissioner rejected the NIE management’s claim that the journalist and non-journalist’s of the NIE, Kochi are not employees and, hence, they are not entitled to EPF benefit.
The Commissioner found that they are very much employees of the NIE establishment and ordered the immediate assessment of EPF amount eligible for each and every employees working on contract at the NIE, Kochi.
This is a landmark victory for the New Indian Express Employees Association (Kerala), employees organisation of the New Indian Express in Kerala. The verdict would have far reaching consequences in the media industry in particular and trade union movement in general at a time when more and more people have been employed on contract basis by companies.
The New Indian Express Employees Association (Kerala), according to its President N Padmanabhan and GS Radhakrishnan, fought the case relentlessly for the last three years against heavy odds.
Meanwhile in Delhi, hundreds of mediaperons took part yesterday in a dharna at Jantar mantar in solidarity with Sakshi Journalists and press workers call for dharna.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
