The issue of ban on journalists' entry in the finance ministry got bigger on Wednesday with the Editors Guild urging minister Nirmala Sitharaman to reconsider her decision and withdraw the same.
“The order is a gag on media freedom and can even result in a further fall in India's global press freedom rankings, especially as the contagion can easily spread to other ministries as well,” the Guild said in a statement.
It said if the finance ministry believes that journalists' access to the government offices was causing inconvenience, the system could be improved in discussion with journalists.
The Indian Women Press Corp, Press Association and Press Club of India too urged the government to lift the ban immediately.
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