Central govt. approves JWS committee’s proposal for financial aid for journalists

The Journalist Welfare Scheme JWS committee's proposal to provide financial assistance to journalists who lost their lives has been approved by the central government.

The committee chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Apurva Chandra, will provide financial relief to the families of 35 journalists who lost their lives. This includes financial aid for the families of 16 journalists who lost their lives in the Covid-19 Pandemic under the JWS. Up to 5 lakh families will be provided with assistance.

The JWS committee also recommended financial support for the treatment of five journalists who were suffering from serious illnesses and two journalists who were permanently disabled. The aid package was approved by the committee, which was worth 1.81 crore.

As many as 123 families of journalists who lost their lives due to Covid 19 have received aid under the programme. 139 households received assistance with the approvals they received.

The families of journalists are given up to Rs 5 lakh in the event of the death of the journalist who has caused extreme hardship. There is assistance given to journalists in the event of significant accidents, lasting disabilities, or serious medical conditions.

During the last fiscal year, 134 journalists and their families received 6.47 crore of aid under various categories.