Ensure mediapersons get benefit of government schemes: Haryana Union of Working Journalists

Rohtak, July 17

The Haryana Union of Working Journalists (HUWJ) has urged Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to ensure that the benefit of government schemes is given to mediapersons on the lines of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

A delegation of the HUWJ led by its president Manmohan Kathuria called on the CM and submitted a memorandum seeking fulfilment of pending demands of the working journalists.

“We are demanding cashless medical facilities for the mediapersons and removal of unnecessary conditions imposed on them for availing the benefit of a monthly pension. As per conditions, if any case is registered against a pensioner journalist, then his pension will be stopped. Similarly, if there are two journalists in a family, one out of the duo will get the pension facility. Such unnecessary conditions should be removed,” said Kathuria.

He lamented that the State Press Accreditation Committee had been formed after the BJP came to power in 2014, which led to arbitrariness in granting accreditation to the mediapersons. The government should form a committee without further delay and nominate elected heads of the journalist associations in the panel, he added.

“In the memorandum, we have also demanded relaxation in the rules framed for the pension of journalists. The age limit should be 58 instead of 60 years, while the journalists of local dailies should also be included in it. The pension should be increased from Rs 15,000 per month to Rs 25,000. The journalists should be provided interest-free loan up to Rs 30 lakh on the pattern of other states,” Kathuria demanded.