Odisha sanctions Rs 2.55 crore ex-gratia to members of the family of 17 journalists who died of COVID-19

By PTI
BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha authorities has sanctioned an ex-gratia of Rs 2.55 crore to the members of the family of 17 working journalists of the state who died because of COVID-19, an official launch mentioned.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik accredited a proposal on this regard put-forth by the Information and Public Relations (I&PR) Department on Friday.

An help of Rs15 lakh every has been sanctioned for the households of 17 working journalists of the state, who died as a result of an infection.

The listing of journalists who’ve been sanctioned ex-gratia include-four from Bhubaneswar.

They are: Manas Jaypuria from Zee Odisha, Basanta Das (Freelance), Bijayan Laxmi Mohanty (Ajikali), Pritiman Mohapatra (Times of India).

Three journalists from Bolangir – Subhransu Sekhara Mishra (Sambad), Jateesh Chandra Khamari (Sambad) and Kailash Chandra Sahoo (Pragatibadi) are additionally within the listing.

Similarly, Gobind Behera (TV News 6 Web), Pradeep Kishore Sahu (Sambad), Kishore Chandra Dash (Samaj), Naresh Kumar Behera (Odisha Files), Ratnakar Moharana (Kalinga Jyoti), Nandini, Nilaya Ranjan Pattnaik, (Block Correspondent), Karunakar Sahoo (Anupam Bharat) have been from Ganjam districts, whose members of the family will get the advantages.

Moreover, the subsequent of kin of Bhanuprakash Rath (Naxatra TV) from Kalahandi and Ashok Kumar Sahoo (Manthan) and Pravat Kumar Routray (Loka Sampark) from Jajpur district would get the help.

This monetary help will likely be disbursed to the subsequent of kin of the deceased journalists from the Journalist Welfare Fund.

Few such instances have been acquired by the Information and Public Relations Department which will likely be disbursed after due verification, sources mentioned.

After required enquiry on the district stage, eligible functions will likely be thought-about for disbursement of the ex-gratia compassionate help, an official mentioned.