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Hyderabad, Minister for Irrigation and Legislative Affairs T Harish Rao today informed the Legislative Assembly that the state government is committed for the welfare of the Journalists. For the first time, the government is offering Online Bus Passes to them and giving advertisements to small newspapers along with the big newspapers, he said, during debate on budgetary allocations to various heads and journalists welfare in the Assembly.
The Minister said that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is giving top priority to provide health and other facilities to the journalists. No other chief minister or previous governments took such great steps for the welfare of the journalists who are getting now corporate level health services including their family members. From state level to village level, the government is providing better health services to them through wellness centers and hospitals equipped with latest gadgets and facilities across the state, Harish said.
The Government allotted Rs 20 cr to the journalists welfare fund in addition to Rs 34.50 cr existing funds, he informed the house. The Government offered health cards to as many as 8,535 journalists and their family members which are put at 35,862 in the state. Harish further said that 16,793 journalists in the state have received Accreditation Cards from the government to avail the benefits and Rs 5 lakh being offered to the kin of the scribes if they died in accidents. Telangana Press Academy offered professional training to 4,427 journalists so far and provided financial assistance of Rs 2.19 cr to the kin of deceased journalists of 203, he said.
Harish Rao denied comments that the small newspapers are being denied advertisements from the government. There is no fact in such rumours, he said adding that the small papers are also getting advertisement revenue in Telangana. As many as 100 small newspapers are getting Rs 36 lakhs of advertisements each, Harish claimed. The government is able to disseminate the information of the schemes and programs to the nation through our newspapers big and small. The BJP ruling states are emulating our schemes which are better than never before, he said.
