India News | Demand for Giving Pension and Insurance Benefits to Journalists

New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) Speakers at a national conference on media here Sunday demanded that journalists be given facilities of pension and insurance.

They stressed that media has to thrive for democracy to prosper.

Also Read | Bharat Bandh on March 28, 29: Banking, Transport And Other Key Services Expected to be Hit; All You Need to Know.

“Journalists should be given the facility of pension. Scribes should also get insurance, given the fact that they have to cover difficult situations,” said Chandreshwar Prasad Singh, a veteran politician and former Speaker of Jharkhand Assembly.

He was addressing the National Conference on ‘Media as an Actor in Democracy' hosted by the Federation of PTI Employees Unions.

Also Read | Chhattisgarh Shocker: Man Rapes and Kills Teenage Girl in Surajpur, Tries To Pass It Off As Suicide; Arrested.

The Press Council of India should act as the guardian for the independence of journalists, said Ashok Updhayay, a veteran editor.

Supriya Shrinate, national spokesperson of the Congress, noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, journalists worked relentlessly to put out reports.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kailash Soni, who chaired the conference, said without the media, democracy cannot stand on its own.

"Media provides the leaders with a direction. Media also plays a constructive role as the opposition in a democracy... Responsible and reliable action is of the greatest importance,” he added.

Indian Federation of Working Journalists president K Vikram Rao and the Federation of PTI Employees' Unions general secretary Balram Singh Dahiya also spoke on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Atanu Pal was unanimously re-elected as president and Balram Singh Dahiya as general secretary of the Federation of PTI Employees' Unions at its annual general meeting here on Sunday.

Sagar Bhurke was re-elected treasurer of the Federation, which comprises its four regional bodies in the country.

R J Naik was re-elected vice-president and K Johnson its assistant general secretary. R Balasubramanian was elected as the other assistant general secretary.

Dahiya said that the management is in talks with the Federation for the welfare issues of the workers. He said that the Federation will continue to work for the betterment of the workers and harmonious relations with the management.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)