Coimbatore : CPIM MP, P R Natarajan has urged the prime minister, Narendra Modi to come out with urgent relief measures to Newspaper industry, as the current situation has pushed them into a question of survival and existence.

In a recent letter to Modi, Natarajan, representing Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency, brought to the notice of Modi about the challenges faced by the industry in this unprecedented time.

Being the 4th pillar of this democratic Country, it could be seen that many newspapers have already cut down pages, closing editions to  keep them going , as they have an ethical commitment to the society, he said.

Stating that the industry was giving jobs to more than 30 lakh persons, he said that the disastrous effects of Covid-19 have brought down advertisement revenue to almost nil and expected to continue for longer period until the normalcy established.

Natarajan said the Party MPs supported the proposals of Newspapers’ Body such as waiver of customs duty on newsprint, clearance of outstanding BOC dues, increased rate by 100 per cent for BOC ads, increased use of print
medium for Government announcement and  complete tax holiday for the next two fiscal period.