Not a single working journalist has been covered under the Odisha State Working Journalists’ Health Insurance Scheme-2016 even as 10 months have passed after the announcement by the Government.
Information and Public Relations Minister Bikram Keshari Arukh revealed this while replying to a question by BJP MlA Dilip Ray in the State Assembly on Tuesday.
Stating that the identification of the working journalists is a continuous process, Arukh said the Government has undertaken a counting exercise for the purpose.
As many as 3,351 journalists have been identified across the State as of now and none of them has been covered under the health insurance scheme yet.
The Minister said a total of 79 journalists had applied for insurance with a premium of Rs 1,170 as per the insurance policy. Of the 79, only 23 scribes gave their premiums along with the valid certificates from their employers. The remaining 56 failed to produce original certificates from their employers though they had paid their premiums.
The Odisha State Working Journalists’ Health Insurance Scheme has, therefore, not been implemented as the health insurance companies expressed their unwillingness to cover such a small number of scribes, the Minister informed.
Notably, the State Government had on November 29, 2016 announced Rs 2 lakh health insurance for working journalists each. It had said that all the scribes covered under the health insurance scheme would have to pay a 25-per cent premium each for the insurance of Rs 2 lakh per year while the remaining 75 per cent of the premium would be borne by the Government.