Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government will set up a welfare board for journalists in the State, Minister for Information and Publicity M P Saminathan announced in the State Assembly on Tuesday.
Making a slew of announcements during his reply to the demand for grants for his department, he also announced that the financial assistance to the families of journalists who die while in service will be hiked from Rs three lakh to Rs five lakh.
The assistance was being given to the families of Editors, Assistant Editors, Reporters, Photographers and Proof Readers from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund.
Recalling Chief Minister M K Stalin’s recent announcement categorising working journalists as frontline workers during the COVID pandemic, Mr Saminathan also said that special state and district level training will be given to journalists to upgrade their language and technological skills.
He also announced that the state government would provide financial assistance and training to young and aspiring journalists to pursue their higher education through reputed institutions like the Asian College of Journalism and Indian Institute of Mass Communications
