Journalist welfare trust bill passed

Parliament today passed a bill aimed at ensuring welfare of the insolvent, wounded and sick journalists and the families of deceased media people.

Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu piloted the Bangladesh Sangbadik Kolyan Trust Bill 2014 before the Jatiya Sangsad for its passage. 

The bill has a provision of forming a 13-memmebr board of trustee with the information minister as its chairman and information secretary as the vice-chairman.

The trust would be a statutory body and the managing director to be appointed by the government would act as the member-secretary of the board.

Principal Information Officer, a director general level officer to be nominated by the Prime Minister's Office; a finance division officer with the rank and status of not below a joint secretary; director general of Bangladesh Press Institute, joint secretary (press) to the information ministry, two Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists’ representatives and three journalists to be nominated by the government will be other members of the trustee board.

The trustee board would provide financial assistance to respective journalists, give stipend for their special contribution, and award stipend to meritorious children of journalists.

Besides, it will provide financial support to the insolvent, poor, sick and wounded journalists, implement projects for their welfare, and arrange medical treatment of sick journalists.