Chandigarh, July 5, 2024 (Yes Punjab News)
Chandigarh and Haryana Journalist Union (CHJU) today met Chief Minister Naib Singh and put the demands of journalists before him and handed over a memorandum.
CHJU has demanded from the Chief Minister to increase the pension of journalists to 20 thousand rupees per month like those who went to jail during emergency, to provide press accrediation card to journalists of medium, small and local newspapers published in evening, daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, TV and digital media on CA report as before and to withdraw the notification calling the conditions of the new notification issued for pension scheme illogical.
CHJU President Ram Singh Brar, State Chairman Balwant Takshak, Chandigarh Press Club President Nalin Acharya in a memorandum given to Chief Minister Naib Singh told the CM that the state government had announced to provide cashless medical facility to journalists like employees. Till now journalists have not received cashless medical cards.
CHJU urged the Chief Minister to provide cashless medical card facility to all journalists. Chief Minister’s press secretary Praveen Atrey was also present on this occasion. CHJU urged the CM to remove the kilometer limit on the free bus facility for journalists and also implement all other pending demands of journalists soon.
CHJU said that as per the new notification issued by the department, only one member of the family will be able to get pension. That is, if both the husband and wife are journalists, then if the husband’s pension starts first, then the wife will not get pension.
There was no such restriction in the old rules. Apart from this, there was a provision in the old rules that if the journalist receiving pension dies, then his life partner (wife or husband) will get the full pension.
That is, at that time, if a journalist died, his life partner would get a full pension of 10 thousand rupees per month.
According to the new rules, now the pension for them has been reduced to 7,500 rupees instead of increasing from 10 thousand to 15 thousand. There is also a provision in these rules that if any case is registered against a journalist, his pension will be stopped, this condition is also not fair.
Apart from this, instead of simplifying the rules for providing pension, they have been made more stringent and strict. CHJU President said that Chief Minister Naib Singh listened to the demands of the journalists and the problems they were facing carefully and in detail and his attitude in this regard was very positive.
