Govt to provide Tk10,000 monthly allowance for elderly, insolvent journalists
BJWT has drafted a policy for the initiative and sent it to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for approval
Highlights
- Govt plans monthly Tk10,000 allowance for journalists aged 65+ who are financially struggling
- BJWT drafted the policy and sent it to the information ministry
- Inter-ministerial meeting to finalise draft set for 9 October
- Beneficiaries must have at least 25 years of journalism experience.
The interim government has taken an initiative to provide a monthly allowance of Tk10,000 to journalists aged over 65 who are financially struggling or have limited income.
Speaking to The Business Standard today (7 October), Muhammad Abdullah, managing director of the Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust (BJWT), said, "The BJWT has drafted a policy for the initiative and sent it to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for approval."
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The ministry will hold an inter-ministerial meeting on 9 October to finalise the draft, he added.
Abdullah said that although the draft had initially proposed a monthly allowance of Tk15,000, the ministry recommended fixing it at Tk10,000.
"In the first phase, elderly journalists from divisional and district headquarters will be brought under this allowance. Gradually, both the scope and the amount of the allowance will be expanded," he said.
According to BJWT sources, eligible applicants must fill out a designated form and provide proof of at least 25 years of experience in journalism.
In case of the recipient's death, a one-time payment equivalent to four months' allowance will be provided to the nominee, marking the end of the benefit.
