Senior and distinguished journalist and leader of the working journalists movement in the country, Amar Devulapalli has been appointed as Advisor, National Media and Inter State Affairs to the Government of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday.
His term is co-terminus with the term of the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. He is given the status of a Cabinet Minister.
Amar (63) is presently presents a popular news program ‘Fourth Estate’ on Sakshi TV for five days a week. He is also the Consulting Editor of the newspaper.
In a journalistic career spanning over 43 years, he worked for Eenadu, Andhra Bhoomi from the stables of Deccan Chronicle, Udayam, Andhra Prabha from the Indian Express.
He edited an Independent weekly, Prajatantra. He also stringed for national level publications like Sunday Observer.
He has been running a column ‘Dateline Hyderabad’ in Prajatantra and later Sakshi since 1991 commenting on current and contemporary political and social issues.
His essays in the column were published as a book. He also penned a book, ‘Sooti Maata’.
An activist in the trade union and professional movement of working journalists in the country for the last four decades, he led them from the frontlines as President of Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists and as Secretary-General of Indian Journalists Union (IJU) for protection of their rights and for better working and living conditions. He is now the President of the IJU.
He was Chairman of Andhra Pradesh Press Academy with cabinet rank for five and half years from 2004 to 2009.
He is now the member of the Press Council of India (PCI). He was awarded Life Time Achievement Awards by the Telugu University and Narla Foundation.
Congratulated
The Indian Journalists Union (IJU), the Telangana State union of Working Journalists (TUWJ) and Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) congratulated Amar Devulapalli on his appoint as National Media Advisor to the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
In separate but identical statements, the Unions hoped that he would be a bridge between the government and the journalists in the national media and regional media of different states in the country.
K Sreenivas Reddy, former Secretary-General of IJU and a veteran editor, and K Amarnath, former member of PCI extended their best wishes to Amar.
