Journo welfare trust gets cabinet nod
A Star file photo of the cabinet
The cabinet today approved the final draft of the Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust Act, 2013 to provide financial assistance to journalists in need.
According to the draft, journalists and their families will be given financial assistance in cases of deaths, accidents or loosing working capacity, Cabinet Secretary Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters.
The cabinet passed the final draft of the law at a meeting at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, Bhuiyan briefed the press after the meeting.
The trust, a long standing demand from journalists, will also cover stipend for journalists for outstanding contributions in the field of journalism, as well as for their talented children.
A 13-member board would be formed to set up the trust, with the information minister as its president and the information secretary as vice-president, the cabinet secretary said.
A total of Tk 1.1 crore has been allotted in this regard for this year, he added.
The cabinet also approved in principal the Formalin Control Act, 2013, with a provision for maximum 10 years of imprisonment and Tk 5 lakh fine for possession of formalin without license.
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