Minister for Information and Public Relations Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has assured members of the Odisha Union of Journalists (OUJ) that the decision to include working journalists in the State under insurance coverage would be implemented soon. On Tuesday, a team of delegations from the OUJ met the Minister and discussed about various issues and demands of scribe fraternity in the State.
They also submitted a memorandum to the Minister. Nayak assured them that the process of inclusion of journalists under an insurance scheme is at its final stage and the Journalists’ Welfare Committee would be restructured with relaxation of the welfare fund rules. The journalists rued that while Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had approved the proposal of increasing the welfare fund to Rs5 lakh, it is yet to be made available. Besides other issues facing the journalists were discussed.
Among others, secretary general of National Union of Journalists Prasanna Mohanty, OUJ president Prakash Panigrahi, general secretary Ajay Sahoo and advisor Shankar Prasad Mishra were present.