The Manav Adhikar Suraksha Manch (MASM), an organisation fighting for protection of human rights, strongly condemned the BJD Government in the State for allocating a meager amount of Rs1 crore in the State Budget for the welfare of the working journalists.
Describing the allocation as ‘a drop in the ocean’ and unjustified, Manch coordinator advocate Abani Kumar Gaya said that the Govt is apathetic towards the scribes who are working under several hardships. Journalists are the only class of people who sacrifice their life and family at the cost of building a strong informative society; yet they are deprived of assistance in terms of housing, medical care, education aid to their children, free travel, accident benefits and other amenities, he lamented.
The existing budgetary allocation of Rs1 crore should be increased to Rs30 crore for the financial year 2015-16, he demanded. Also a corpus fund of Rs100 crore should be created to provide required assistance.