Before the election code of conduct kicks in ahead of the impending Lok Sabha elections, the Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar is trying to lure the journalistic fraternity with a pension scheme.

Under the Bihar Patrakar Samman Yojana (BPSY), state-based journalists aged at least 60 will be eligible for a monthly pension of ₹6,000. The scheme will cover accredited and non-accredited journalists who have been in the profession for at least 20 years.

Although the scheme was announced way back in August 2015, it was not executed due to “technical reasons”.

Earlier in 2010, the state government had formed the Rajya Patrakar Bima Kosh to build a healthcare reserve fund for journalists. This was abandoned four years later to start the Bihar Rajya Patrakar Bima Yojna. Under this insurance policy, beneficiaries are provided with ₹5 lakh health insurance and personal accidental claim. According to the policy, journalists need to pay only 20 per cent of the premium while the rest is borne by the state government. Around 500 journalists were insured under the policy in 2018.

Bihar has about 60 media houses but the government is yet to figure out how many will benefit under the pension scheme. State information and public relations officer Chandrashekar Singh said a detailed mechanism on the scheme is being figured out and will be declared soon.

Journalists a happy lot

Welcoming the Bihar government’s move, senior journalist Dipak Misra pointed out that there is no social security for journalists in the state. “We have to face lot of hardships after retirement. Such a scheme should be welcomed.”

On the crucial question of whether the scheme is an attempt by the government to influence the community ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, he said: “Influencing journalists can be done in ‘n’ number of ways. In the current scenario, media owners are unwilling to take on the government. If anything is influencing journalists, it is the media owners.”

Women journalists in the state have also welcomed the decision but with a slightly different take. Rajni Sharma, chief copy editor, News18, said, “This is a welcome move but the fact is that very few women journalists are able to continue in the profession for 20 years”. Sharma estimates that only about 10-12 women journalists in the state can reap the scheme’s benefits.

The Bihar Working Journalist Association (BWJA) was the first group to demand a pension scheme for scribes. “Pension has had been a long-standing demand of journalists. Journalists can be rendered jobless anytime. Already journalists in the state are working under harsh conditions. A pension scheme would be good assistance,” said Nivedita Jha, president of the BWJA.

However, she isn’t satisfied with the pension amount pension of ₹6,000. “I think the pension amount should have been at least ₹10,000. But we welcome the present scheme as well anyway,” Jha said.

Opposition smells a rat

Opposition party Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) expressed its appreciation for the scheme but also questioned the timing of its execution. Senior RJD leader Shivanand Tiwary alleged that the Nitish Kumar government already controls and manages media through advertisements. “Media institutions in the state are forced to fall in line with the government. This is nothing less than an undeclared state of emergency.”

But this isn’t the first time in Bihar that such a scheme has come into existence. During Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure in the 1990s, senior state journalists were given a stipend of ₹1,000. The scheme was later discontinued.

Bihar is not the only government to announce a pension scheme for journalists. In West Bengal, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government recently announced a pension plan for accredited journalists.

Journalists’ uncertainty our concern: JD(U)

Janata Dal (United) spokesman Niraj Kumar said, “Assisting journalists and working for their welfare is not influencing them. Media is the fourth pillar of our democracy and their uncertainties are our concern.” Kumar believes that the proposed scheme in Bihar should serve as a model for other states.

Bharatiya Janata Party state vice president Vinay Singh said, “Journalists play a very crucial role in our democracy. They help in shaping our society and nation. Providing them pension is a welcome step.”

(The authors are Patna-based freelance writer and members of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)