New Delhi Dec 19 PTI The Press Association a body of accredited journalists on Sunday announced the election of its new office-bearers and executive membersC K Nayak bureau chief of Shillong Times is the new president of the Association and Anand Mishra from Deccan Herald has been elected as vice president Santosh Thakur from Navbharat has been elected general secretary Sujit Thakur from India Today as joint secretary and Laxmi Devi from the PTI as TreasurerFive members elected to the Press Associations executive body are Jaishankar Gupta from Deshbandhu Shahid K Abbas from Informist Media K P Malik from Dainik Bhaskar freelance journalist Rima Sarmah and Ajay Buwa from SakalThe new committee of the Press Association has a tenure of two years The voting for the new office bearers of the journalists body was held on SaturdayThe Press Association was registered in 1965 It has representation in the Press Council of India Central Press Accreditation Committee and other press bodies PTI PK RT RT

New Delhi Nov 21 PTI The Press Association has said there is an impending crisis in the Press Council of India PCI as the government has not yet appointed its new chairman even as the extended term of the incumbent chairman expired on SundayIn a statement the journalists body said Justice retd C K Prasads three-year term as the chairman of the council expired in May but according to the PCI Act 1978 he continued to serve as the councils chairman for six more monthsThe Press Association expresses serious concern over the impending crisis in the Press Council of India as its new chairman has not been appointed though the extended term of the incumbent chairman Justice C K Prasad is expiring on Sunday it saidThe association said no provision in the PCI Act provides that the incumbent chairman can continue to hold the office after the expiry of his extended term till the new chairman is appointed and takes chargeThere is also no provision for any acting chairman and none from the council neither any member nor secretary can act as the chairman it saidWhile no meeting of the council can be held till a new chairman is appointed the council staff will also not be able to draw salary in the absence of the chairman the association saidThe journalists body said the provision in the PCI Act for an extension of the incumbent chairmans term by six months after the expiry of the three-year term is aimed at filling up the post in the interim periodBut It has not been done by the government of India so far the statement jointly issued by Press Association president Jaishankar Gupta and general secretary CK Nayak saidGupta is also a member of the councilThe association said the chairman of the council is appointed by a high-level committee comprising the chairman of the Rajya Sabha the speaker of the Lok Sabha and one of the elected representatives of the PCIThe committee headed by the Vice President is supposed to meet well before the deadline and select the next chairman But the Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu is out of the national capital till November 24 and there is no information about the meeting to the councils nominee for the meeting till date the journalists body said PTI PK RC