Aid to 31 ailing jourlists

GUWAHATI, March 13: Chief Minister’s media adviser Hrishikesh Goswami handed over cheques to 31 ailing jourlists under Jourlists’ Welfare Medical Fund at a function at the conference hall of Chief Minister’s office in Jata Bhawan on Tuesday.

Goswami said that the Jourlists’ Welfare Medical Fund is an effort on the part of the Chief Minister to expedite government’s initiatives towards the welfare of the jourlists of the State. He also said that the initiative is not a favour shown towards jourlists, it is rather a duty that the government is rendering. Stating that the people placed in government jobs enjoy fincial security, however, jourlists involved in collecting and dissemiting information are devoid of fincial security. Therefore, the State Government in power has been adopting several welfare schemes. He also said that in the coming days, the State Government in consultation with different jourlists associations will formulate more welfare schemes for the benefits of the jourlists. A grant of Rs. 10 lakh for Media Trusts and Insurance Scheme for jourlists in this year’s budget is a testimony to government’s intense desire for the welfare of the jourlists.

Synchronizing with the programme, Additiol Chief Secretary to Information and Public Relations Dr. AK Singh, Secretary Sajid Jaman Hazarika, Director of the Department Rajib Prakash Baruah also spoke and highlighted several measures related to jourlists’ welfare.

Under the programme altogether 31 ailing jourlists from across the State were given a sum of Rs. 9,72,343. A corpus fund to the tune of Rs. 3 crore has been created for the purpose. A sum of Rs. 70 lakh has already been disbursed for 150 jourlists under the scheme.