Jammu: Ashwani Kumar, President of the Jammu and Kashmir Accredited Journalists Association, has welcomed the demand for a pension scheme for retired journalists raised by Tanvir Sadiq, MLA from Zadibal Assembly Constituency and Chief Spokesman of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Wednesday.
In a statement, Ashwani Kumar said Tanvir Sadiq has rightly highlighted the plight of retired journalists who have devoted their careers to strengthening democracy through their work. He emphasized that senior journalists dedicate decades to upholding democratic values, often under challenging and risky conditions, and deserve social security after retirement.
Kumar pointed out that most states and Union Territories in India already provide monthly pensions to senior journalists who have completed 20 years of service and reached the age of 58, following corporate sector norms. States like Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh provide pensions ranging from ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 per month to eligible journalists.
Similarly, smaller states and Union Territories such as Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Tripura, and Uttarakhand offer monthly pensions between ₹8,000 and ₹15,000 to retired journalists.
Ashwani Kumar stressed that the number of retired senior journalists in Jammu and Kashmir is small, so the financial burden on the Union Territory’s exchequer would not be significant. He urged all political parties, including the BJP, Congress, People’s Conference, and independent legislators, to rise above party lines and collectively press for the implementation of a pension scheme for retired journalists in Jammu and Kashmir.
