The centre approved the financial assistance worth Rs 6.15 crore for families of 123 journalists who lost their lives due to Covid, the Hindu reported.

Details were revealed when L Murugan, the minister of state for information and broadcasting, was replying to supplementary questions in the Rajya Sabha today. He also said that state governments had to take responsibility to take action against online harassment of women journalists.

Noting that the government was “concerned about journalists’ welfare”, Murugan said, “We received 123 journalists’ proposals. All 123 proposals were accepted and we released Rs 6.15 crore amount to the concerned families.”

In a written reply, I&B minister Anurag Thakur said the government had conducted a special drive to provide financial assistance to families of journalists who died of Covid.

Thakur said: “On the basis of applications received by the Press Information Bureau and which fulfill the criteria laid under the Journalist Welfare Scheme, a sum of Rs 6.15 crore has been approved during the financial years 2020-21 and 2021-22 for financial assistance of Rs 5,00,000 per family to the families of 123 journalists who died due to Covid-19.”

Thakur also said that financial assistance under the JWS has been provided in 247 cases since 2017. A sum of Rs 39.38 lakh had been sanctioned under the scheme during 2017-2018; Rs 99.99 lakh in 2018-19; Rs 115.25 lakh in 2019-20; and Rs 260 lakh in 2020-21.