Journalists with three-year service to become members of welfare board

The Journalist Welfare Board of Tamil Nadu has decided to enrol as members all employees of newspaper and media organisations who have completed three years of service.

In the third meeting of the Board, Information and Publicity Minister M.P. Saminathan, who chaired the meeting, suggested three years could be the norm. “It could be renewed every five years,” he said.

In the first phase, the Board would enrol accredited journalists in Chennai and districts and it would be followed by inclusion of others. V.P. Jayaseelan, Director of Information and Public Relations, said the objective was to benefit the maximum number of employees of media organisations, particularly those who were in need of assistance.

The Minister also gave financial assistance to family members of three journalists who died in harness.