The central government told the Rajya Sabha on Monday that Rs 5.05 Crore was approved as financial assistance to the dependents of 101 journalists who died due to Covid.
In a written reply to question asked at the Rajya Sabha, information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur said that Rs 5.05 crore had been approved during 2020 and 2021 for financial assistance; each of the families of the 101 journalists would receive Rs 5 lakh. Thakur said this was calculated on the basis of applications received by the Press Information Bureau that fulfill criteria under the I&B ministry's journalist welfare scheme.
According to Rate the Debate campaign, 672 journalists have died in India of Covid as of today. A database compiled by the Network of Women in Media, India, puts the number at 552.
Also Read: ‘Who will write about us if we fall sick?’: The vulnerability of journalists in the time of Covid-19
Also Read: Dying on duty: Where's the aid Uddhav Thackeray promised to journalists?
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