Imphal: Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh has on Monday assured to soon initiate a scheme to compensate victims of frontline warriors, including media persons, being involved in fighting the Covid-19 in the state.
Biren said state Cabinet will try to take a decision soon to compensate victims of frontline warriors including media persons, police, government employees and volunteers of civil society organisations involved in helping the government fight Covid-19 crisis.
Central government has already announced Rs 50 lakh scheme for healthcare workers in the frontline. Some ministers had also proposed for the compensation to provide to those in the frontline other than health care workers, he added.
“We will try to take a cabinet decision soon to announce a compensation scheme of Rs 5/10 lakh for the frontline warriors, ” Biren said.
The chief minister made the assurance in reply to a proposal made by Editors’ Guild Manipur and All Manipur Working Journalists Union, Imphal on Monday.
The media bodies proposed the chief minister to take up measures to provide Covid-19 financial protection like clearing pending bills and issuing fresh advertisements/health insurance schemes for media employees and any other support that the government might consider fit to provide.
A representation of the media bodies said, because of the Covid-19 pandemic the normal functioning of media have been deeply impacted. Because the role of media during pandemic is considered essential and media houses have been directed to continue publication and production of newspaper/bulletin by the MIB, Government India. Thus, the media in Manipur, despite no help from any quarters have been functioning non stop from day -1, it added.
Several states like Odisha, Sikkim, Assam, Haryana etc. have announced different financial schemes for the employees of the media houses. A representation have been submitted to the director, information and public relation on May 3. “However, till date we have not seen any tangible action from your end,” the representation mentioned.
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