Haryana govt to pay life insurance premium for Rs 10 lakh cover for journalists

Rohtak, October 1

The Haryana government will bear the insurance premium amount of upto Rs 10 lakh for journalists instead of Rs 5 lakh.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced this while speaking in a seminar on “Future and challenges of journalism” organised by the Haryana Union of Working Journalists (HUWJ) in Rohtak on Sunday.

“The state government is providing insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh, 10 lakh and 20 lakh to journalists through LIC. Till now, the government was paying the insurance premium amount upto Rs 5 lakh but it will now bear insurance premium amount of upto Rs 10 lakh. The government would also contribute 50 percent of the premium for insurance up to Rs 20 lakh,” said Khattar.

The CM also underscored various government initiatives for journalists’ welfare, including pension for 176 journalists in the state and accreditation for 1262 journalists. The government provides monthly pensions to journalists with 20 years of experience, accreditation for five years, and who have reached 60 years of age.

In addition, accredited journalists enjoy free travel up to 4,000 kilometers on roadways buses. Apart from this, the pension of journalists had been linked with the DA, he added.

HUWJ chief Ajay Malhotra and executive president Manmohan Kathuria hailed the CM’s announcement while Energy and Prison Minister Ch Ranjit Singh, Lok Sabha MP Dr Arvind Sharma, state BJP vice president and former Minister Manish Grover were also present on the occasion.