GUWAHATI, Sept 4 - The North-East Union of Working Journalists met Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at his Janata Bhavan office recently and discussed with him various problems faced by the journalists of Assam.
Presenting a memorandum to the Chief Minister, the Union thanked him for his government�s introduction of journalist pension from the current year itself, for which the senior journalists, in particular, were fighting all throughout the last decade. The memorandum, however, pointed out that two or three seniormost journalists were deprived from this pension, on the plea that they were availing literary pension. The Union representatives explained that a large number of non-journalist literary pensioners were also simultaneously availing their pensions from their departments where they had worked.
The representatives led by the Union president Joykanta Sarma and accompanied by vice-president Rupam Baruah, vice-president Pulin Kalita and secretary Manoj Agasti, also brought the issue of non-implementation of Journalists� Wage Board awards in almost all newspaper establishments other than The Assam Tribune group.
Hrishikesh Goswami, Media Adviser to the Chief Minister who was present in the meeting, responded by saying that works were in rapid progress to implement the wage awards in all the newspaper establishments and TV channels and the journalists would get the benefits very soon.
The Union also requested Sonowal to cover all the journalists under health insurance scheme. It also sought adequate security for the working journalists.
