Bhubaneswar, July 30: Odisha Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja on Wednesday held an important meeting with senior journalists at Lok Seva Bhawan, focusing on journalist welfare and institutional support. Issues discussed included the proposed Journalists’ Protection Act, pension schemes, health insurance, and easier access to government offices.
The meeting, attended by I&PR officials including Hemant Sharma and Anuj Kumar Das Patnaik, also addressed media accreditation and fair advertisement distribution. Officials announced an upcoming awareness session on insurance claims and shared that 7,486 journalists are already covered under the Gopabandhu Health Scheme.
From 2021 to 2024, compensation of ₹4 lakh each has been provided to the families of 80 deceased journalists. Additionally, ₹15 lakh each was extended to the families of 49 journalists who passed away due to COVID-19, under the Journalist Welfare Fund.
Veteran journalists such as Bhagabat Tripathi and Sanat Mishra were present and voiced their concerns.
