Odisha Government reopens Lok Seva Bhawan to journalists

Bhubaneswar, Dec 31: The Odisha government, under Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, has reopened the Lok Seva Bhawan, the State Secretariat, to journalists, marking the end of a four-year ban that was previously enforced by the BJD government.

As part of this reopening, new guidelines for the 'Secretariat Admission Pass' have been established, allowing limited media access to the Secretariat.

On December 26, the Information and Public Relations (I&PR) department revoked a notification from February 6, 2013, which had been deemed insufficient in regulating the application process for media personnel seeking entry passes. Now, journalists must apply online for their passes, which will be issued after verification and endorsement by the I&PR department, followed by approval from the Home department through the e-Pravesh portal.

The entry passes are available for various media representatives, including editors, reporters, correspondents, freelance journalists, photojournalists, and cameramen. Eligibility criteria include editors from I&PR empaneled newspapers and TV channels, accredited journalists, authorized representatives from national news agencies, and crew members from CBC-empaneled TV channels.