Karnataka Media Distributor Conference Calls for Welfare Support and Insurance Relief

K.V. Prabhakar, a former media adviser to Siddaramaiah, said newspaper distributors are as important as editors and reporters. He spoke at the sixth state-level newspaper distributors’ conference in Belagavi, organised by the Karnataka State Newspaper Distributors’ Federation and the Belagavi Newspaper Distributors’ Association. Prabhakar said distributors bring news and knowledge to homes and promised to pursue solutions to their problems with the government. He said he would press Labour Minister Santosh Lad to ease strict conditions in the insurance compensation scheme. Karnataka Working Journalists’ Association president Shivanand Tagaduru called for the Centre to establish a welfare fund for distributors. Tagaduru said India has more than <b>2.5 million newspaper distributors</b> and that their livelihoods lack protection.