Bhubaneswar: June 07: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today announced few more welfare measures for the working journalists including a death benefit of Rs 4 lakh for working journalists and financial assistance with DMET approval in addition to Health Insurance benefit for critical illness where the expenditure exceeds Rs 2 lakhs under the Health Insurance scheme.
Government decided to give 3% interest subvention up to Rs 25 lakhs house building loans, but the Subvention will be released annually after repayment of regular instalments with interest by the loaner Journalists. Like Wise, 3% interest subvention for four wheeler loan up to Rs 4 lakhs and Subvention will be released annually after repayment of regular instalments with interest by the loanee Journalists. In case of two-wheeler, again 3% interest subvention for loan up to Rs 50,000 which will be released annually after repayment of regular instalments with interest by the loanee Journalists.
Government also announced Educational assistance to the children of deceased working journalist and will be provided @ Rs 1500/- per month till Class-10 and @ Rs 2500/- per month for higher studies.
To facilitate 3 days/1 week/2 weeks training of minimum 25 and maximum 35 Journalists within the State in Institutes like IIMC, training cost up to Rs 10,000/-per journalist will be borne by Government in a block period of 5 years.
Notably, the state government had already implemented the Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana with effect from June 01,2018 and over 3000 working journalists were covered under the scheme in the first phase.
The Information and Public Relations Department has been asked to implement the benefits immediately.
