MUMBAI: Information & broadcasting (I&B) ministry secretary Ravi Mittal has contacted his counterparts in several other ministers asking them to clear the dues they owe several media companies, media reports suggest. Mittal has cited the financial pressure that the media companies are facing because of the ongoing lockdown as one of the reasons. 

It is being highlighted that various union ministries including telecommunications, sports, youth affairs, the departments of posts, electronics and IT, and the NITI Aayog, among others, owe at least Rs 400 crore to several media companies. 

According to a Hindustan Times report, which cites having Mittal’s letters in its possession, he has underlined that it is of vital importance that all payments due to the private media sector are made to enable them to pay their employees, keep their businesses afloat and prevent layoffs. 

“As you would appreciate, these media houses are also supporting the government’s efforts to communicate with its citizens during the current crisis arising due to COVID-19,” he wrote.

Mittal’s intervention comes days after the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) communicated to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman that they are in grave danger of losing monies. 

Additionally, the Advertising Agencies Association of India has also written to the I&B ministry demanding tax relief.