Less than a year ahead of the State polls, the Assam government has announced an annual grant for development-oriented journalists “without affiliation to any political party”.
The grant of ₹50,000 each for 20 journalists from the current fiscal will be awarded for at least three “success stories” of the government in the past 12 months published or broadcast. Photojournalists and videojournalists, who produce similar work through a series of pictures and films, have also been made eligible for the grant.
Officials of the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), which has been tasked with forming a committee to select the journalists for the grant, said the scheme was proposed during the 2019-2020 fiscal.
“This is an extension of a fellowship on developmental and socio-economic issues of similar amount for an equal number of scribes that was started during the 2018-2019 fiscal. The grant differs from the fellowship in certain aspects,” a senior DIPR official said on October 6, adding that candidates for the grant would be selected only if they are found to be politically neutral.
“For the fellowship, an applicant needs to have worked independently or for a media house for at least three years and produce a minimum number of stories after selection. The grant will be awarded on the basis of stories and photos already published and videos broadcast by journalists whose minimum age should be 40 years with no upper limit,” the official stated.
15 years of experience
According to the guidelines issued by Preetam Saikia, Commissioner-Secretary for the Information and Public Relations Department, an applicant must have at least 15 years of experience and his or her “affiliation to any political party will be termed a disqualification”.
An applicant must not have been convicted for any offence or punished by any court of law or reprimanded by the Press Council of India for misconduct or violation of ethnics of journalism or for every other relative motive, the conditions state. Other conditions are that an applicant’s annual income must be less that ₹5 lakh, should be a resident of Assam and should be an accredited or recognised journalist of the State.
Certain schemes for journalists were started by the Congress government led by Tarun Gogoi. They include distributing laptops ahead of the 2011 Assembly elections and a medical welfare scheme for accredited and recognised journalists from 2012-2013 fiscal onwards.
