The Mass Media Ministry will shortly introduce a foreign scholarship scheme for provincial correspondents and do away with their segregation as provincial Correspondents and issue them a common media identity card as other journalists in the country, said Minister Gayantha Karunathilleke.

He was addressing Provincial Journalists of Matara and Galle at a workshop on the Right to Information Act held at Sea line Hotel, Galle on November 4.

The Minister said Journalists attached to media institutions as well as parliamentary reporters gain opportunity to undertake foreign trips with state leaders through other schemes but Provincial Journalists who did the most amount of work were denied that opportunity.

He said misuse of the media was greatly unfair by the public. Journalists should write with some form of regulation without considering the commercial gains of his or her institution.

Electronic media in particular needs some form of regulation. Such a regulatory procedure would be introduced in future after considering the views, ideas and suggestions of all concerned.

He said he took steps to grant Tabs to Parliamentary Journalists with the co-operation of Minister Harin Fernando. Filing news by fax alone was insufficient these days and journalists should always keep in touch and move forward with new technology. As journalists did not receive a stable salary today he said his ministry hoped to introduce a minimum salary for journalists through an act of Parliament.

A housing programme would be drown hp in future to enable journalists to obtain houses.