Centre on May 27 approved financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of journalists who died of COVID-19.
The financial assistance, under the Journalist Welfare Scheme of the Ministry of Information and Broadcast, will be provided to 67 families of scribes who lost their lives to COVID-19, news agency ANI reported.
Making the announcement, the Government of India said: “Centre approves financial assistance to 67 families of journalists who lost their lives to Covid. Each family to get Rs5 lakhs under the Journalist Welfare Scheme of I&B Ministry. Committee to hold JWS meetings on weekly basis to process the applications expeditiously.”
Although more than 250 journalists have died in India since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Centre will be providing financial assistance to only families of 67 deceased scribes.
As per a study by the Delhi-based Institute of Perception Studies, as many as 238 journalists have died of COVID-19 in India, between April 2020 and May 16, 2021. By May 19, this number had risen to 253. And this is only based on data of cases that have been verified; the actual number may be higher.
The report by the Institute of Perception Studies further stated that the second wave of the pandemic has been worse for media personnel, as 171 journalists have died in just one and a half months – from April 1 to May 16, 2021.
Between April 2020 and December 2020, 56 journalists had died of COVID-19. The remaining 11 succumbed to the novel coronavirus disease between January 2021 and April 2021.
According to a Press Emblem Campaign report released in April, India ranks third vis-à-vis journalist deaths, coming next to only Brazil and Peru.
Several Indian states such as West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand have declared journalists as frontline workers so that they can be vaccinated against COVID-19 on priority.
Follow our coverage of the coronavirus crisis here
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
