Families Of 67 COVID-Victim Journalists To Get Rs 5 Lakh Each From Centre

New Delhi: The Centre has identified 67 journalists who have succumbed to COVID-19 in India so far, and will provide financial relief to each of their families.

A sum of Rs 5 lakh will be given to the families of 26 newspersons who have died due after contracting coronavirus in the second wave of the pandemic.

During the financial year 2020-21, the Government had provided such assistance to 41 families of journalists who had lost their lives because of the deadly virus, taking the total number to 67.

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Press Information Bureau compiled and collated the details of journalists who passed away due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

Their families are being provided financial assistance under the Journalist Welfare Scheme (JWS).

Members of JWS will henceforth meet every week so that applications for financial assistance can be processed expeditiously.

The committee also considered applications of 11 families of those journalists who passed away due to reasons other than COVID-19.

Journalists and their families can apply for assistance under the Journalist Welfare Scheme (JWS) through the PIB website at https://accreditation.pib.gov.in/jws/default.aspx.