The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Sarma: land reforms vital for equitable development

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Sarma: land reforms vital for equitable development

Staff Reporter

‘Foreign investment in media a threat to freedom of press’

KOCHI: Land reforms are no threat to development, Minister for Fisheries and Registration S. Sarma has said.

Inaugurating the delegates’ conference of the Kerala Newspaper Employees’ Federation (KNEF) on Sunday, Mr. Sarma said land reforms helped in decentralising land holdings and had brought about an equitable distribution in society. Land reforms had boosted industrial and trade development, he added.

In the era of globalisation, capitalist forces are controlling the politics behind land, Mr. Sarma said. Capitalists and land mafia are bedfellows, he added. In the same vein, Mr. Sarma said foreign investment in media was a threat to the freedom of press and a threat to democracy too.

Sebastian Paul, MP; who delivered the main speech on the concluding day of the two-day State conference, said contract jobs in the media that is prevalent now was a threat to healthy existence of the media. KNEF president K.N. Lathanathan presided.

K. Babu, MLA; Kochi Corporation Deputy Mayor C.K. Manisankar, BJP general secretary A.N. Radhakrishnan, Press Club secretary P.N. Venugopal and Non-journalist Pensioners Association secretary P.D. Sivaraman spoke on the occasion.

Earlier, KNEF general secretary V. Balagopal welcomed the gathering and presented the report. Gopan Nambatt, treasurer, gave details of the accounts.

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