As a New President of INS Shreyams Kumar Elected as a Chair

M V Shreyams Kumar of Mathrubhumi was elected President of The Indian Newspaper Society (INS), an apex body of publishers of newspapers, magazines and periodicals in the country. He will succeed Rakesh Sharma of Aaj Samaj.

Who is Shreyams Kumar?

• Maniyankode Veerendrakumar Shreyams Kumar (born 15 April 1967) is an Indian politician.
• A former member of the 12th and 13th Kerala Legislative Assembly, who served from 2006 to 2016 representing the Kalpetta constituency.
• He has been a former Rajya Sabha MP. 
• Apart from that, he has been a two-time MLA from Kerala and a member of the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United).

Contribution for News

• With a PG diploma in business administration.
• Kumar has been instrumental in expanding the presence of the publications of the Mathrubhumi group in the media landscape. 
• Nine of the fourteen editions of the Mathrubhumi Daily were started under his watch. 
• Also, Kumar helped in launching various platforms of Mathrubhumi to cater to the Malayalee diaspora living in West Asia and other foreign nations.

His remarks

• As we embrace the digital age, we must innovate and adapt to the changing needs of our readers. 
• Whether through interactive media, data-driven stories, or immersive experiences, we must captivate and inform our audiences.
• At the same time, it is our duty to preserve the essence of print journalism.
• Press freedom is the lifeblood of our democracy, and we must defend it at any cost. 
• We must stand united in protecting the independence of the press, resisting any attempts to restrict our freedom to report, express opinions, and investigate matters of public interest.

About INS

• The Indian Newspaper Society (INS; formerly Indian and Eastern Newspaper Society) acts as the central organization of the Press of India.
• An independent body authenticating circulation figures of newspapers and periodicals in India. 
• It plays a major role in protecting and promoting freedom of the press in India.

Objective

• To act as a central organization of the Press of India and of any other country in Asia, which desires to associate itself with the Society.
• To promote and safeguard the business interests of its members incidental to the production of their publications and to take suitable steps in respect of such business as are affected by the action of Legislatures, Governments, the Law Courts, Municipal and local bodies and Associations or Organizations, commercial or formed for any other purpose.
• To collect information upon all topics having a practical business interest for its members and to communicate the same to them.

Functions

• Advertising
• Newsprint
• Industrial Relations
• Press Freedom
• Accreditation of Advertising Agencies
• Advisory on Advertisements of Defaulting Advertisers
• Monitoring of Payments to Publications
• Enforcement of Accreditation Rules
• Resolution of Disputes between Publications and the Agencies

Other Appointments at 85th AGM

• Vivek Gupta of Sanmarg was elected deputy president.
• Lokmat’s Karan Rajendra Darda became vice president. 
• Amar Ujala’s Tanmay Maheshwari was elected as honorary treasurer of the society.