New Delhi, Feb 2 (PTI) The Press Club of India observed its 64th Foundation Day on Wednesday and announced that it will commemorate the day every year "to keep the idea of press freedom in India alive".

On the occasion, a discussion on the topic, 'The Era of New Challenges Before Media' was organised.

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In the discussion, journalists voiced concern over a range of issues, including a limited number of entry passes to mediapersons for the coverage of Parliament Sessions, a statement released by the Press Club of India (PCI) after the event stated.

The PCI came into being in 1959 with the then Hindustan Times chief editor Durga Das as its president and D R Mankekar as secretary, the statement said.

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The club was inaugurated on February 2, 1959, by then Home Minister Pandit Govind Vallabh Pant, it added.

"PCI president Umakant Lakhera announced that club's Foundation Day will be commemorated on February 2 every year to keep alive the idea of press freedom in India," the statement said.

"We will sacrifice everything to protect media freedom," it quoted Lakhera as saying during the discussions held.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)