The State Government on Thursday announced a slew of welfare measures for working journalists in the State. A decision to this effect was taken by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Information and Public Relations Minister Pratap Jena, while speaking to reporters, said the working journalists across the State would get a death benefit of Rs 4 lakh and top up financial assistance with DMET approval in addition to health insurance benefit for critical illness where the expenditure exceeds Rs 2 lakh under the Health Insurance Scheme.
He also said that 3-per cent interest subvention up to Rs 25 lakh to be provided for house building loans. Subvention will be released annually after repayment of regular installment with interest by the loanee journalists.
“The journalists will get a financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh in the event of permanent incapacitation and 3 per cent interest subventions for four wheeler loan up to Rs 4 lakh. Subvention will be released annually after repayment of regular installments with interest by the loanee journalists,” informed the Minister, adding, “3-per cent interest subvention for two-wheeler loan up to Rs 50,000 subventions will be released annually after repayment of regular installments with interest by the loanee journalists.”
Educational assistance to the children of deceased working journalists would also be provided at Rs 1,500 per month till Class-X and Rs 2,500 per month for higher studies.
The Minister also announced that the Government would bear the training cost up to Rs 10,000 per journalist to facilitate three days, one-week or two-week training of minimum 25 and maximum 35 journalists within the State institutions like IIMC in a block period of five years. The working journalists would get all these benefits with effect from June 1, 2018, said a release by the Information and Public Relations (I and PR) Department.
Notably, the State Government had recently implemented the ‘Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana’ for working journalists with effect from June 1. In the first phase, as many as 3,233 journalists have been covered under this scheme.