Details of journalists who died due to Covid were collated by the ministry and PIB. File
New Delhi:
The centre will provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of 26 journalists who died due to Covid this year. In the last financial year, the government had provided such assistance to the families of 41 journalists.
The financial assistance will be provided under the Journalist Welfare Scheme of the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
The details of journalists who lost their lives due to the pandemic were collated by the ministry and the Press Information Bureau, said a government release. Thereafter, they launched a drive to extend assistance to their families, it added.
The centre today approved a proposal of the Journalist Welfare Scheme committee to provide the assistance to the families of 26 journalists, said the release. The committee is headed by Amit Khare, Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
“In the financial year 2020-21, the Central Government provided such assistance to 41 families of the journalists deceased due to Covid taking the total number to 67,” the release added.
The Press Information Bureau has reached out to families of journalists who died of Covid and guided them about the scheme and the process of filing the claims.
The committee, the release said, has decided to hold meetings on a weekly basis to ensure that applications for assistance under the scheme can be swiftly processed. It has also considered applications of 11 families of journalists who died of reasons other than Covid, the release said.
Journalists and their families can seek assistance under the scheme through the website of the Press Information Bureau.