Report by Kahnu Nanda. Bhubaneswar: On Sunday, the Senior Journalists Association Odisha [SJAO] representatives hailed Odisha’s new chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at the state guest house in Bhubaneswar. They submitted a memorandum containing a 5-point charter of demands pending at the government level for consideration.
After receiving the memorandum new chief minister Majhi who assumes information and public relations portfolio assured SJAO members that steps would be taken over journalists longstanding these demands very soon.
The SJAO 5-point demands included providing social and financial security to journalists in the state after superannuation, mainly to provide pensions to scribes attaining twilight age living in distressed conditions. The second demand contained the implementation of the Majithia wage board award and recommendations in favour of scribes in Odisha which has been pending to implement in the state since the year 2014.
As journalists are frequently targeted by criminals, and anti-social elements including government officials and face attacks and threats, there is a need to ensure scribes’ safety by taking appropriate measures such as formulating a special Act and law for the protection of journalists as like as states Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh have launched stringent journalists safety laws, SJAO comprised third demands.
To modify the journalist’s welfare schemes are rolling in state, include all working and retired journalists and their kin in Gopabandhu Sambadika Swastha Yojana, to enhance the compassionate financial assistance to deceased scribe’s family Rs 4 Lakh to R 10 Lakh, free medical aids to journalists in case of rendering disable and pecuniary assistance at least Rs 5 Lakh to a scribe who renders incapable earning livelihood causing disability, the fourth demand describes.
Furthermore, the fifth demand of SJAO postulates that change of rules for the constitution of the Odisha Press Accreditation Committee and grant of accreditation of media representatives through district collector and DIPRO recommendation at the state, district, subdivision, and block level.
The SJAO representatives met chief minister Majhi conveyed as organization president Kahnu Nanda, vice president Pradipta Choudhury, general secretary Ashutosh Behera, organizing secretaries Biplab Mohanty and Raghunath Sahoo, executive body members Ratnakar Jena and Devendra Singh, Puri unit president Saroj Kumar Mishra, secretary Laxminarayan Patnaik and member Bhagabat Patnaik. [Ends]
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