UNB, Dhaka :
Parliament on Tuesday passed the ‘Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust Bill, 2014’ aiming to provide support to ailing, insolvent and injured journalists.
Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu moved the bill in the House that was passed by voice vote.
Earlier, on April 2, Information Minister introduced the bill for ensuring the welfare of poor, insolvent, sick and wounded journalists, and the family members of deceased journalists.
According to the bill, a 13-memmebr board of trustee would be constituted with the Information Minister as the chairman of the board, while Information Secretary as its vice-chairman.
The trust will be a statutory body and the managing director to be appointed by the government, will act as member secretary of the trust.
The other members of the trust are: Principal Information Officer (PIO), a DG-level officer to be nominated by the Prime Ministers’ Office; a Finance Division official with the rank and status not below joint secretary; director general of the Press Institute of Bangladesh; joint secretary (press) from the Ministry of Information; two representatives of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and three journalists to be nominated by the government.
Narrating the objectives of the bill, the Information Minister said the trust would provide financial assistance to the poor, insolvent, sick and wounded journalists, stipends for journalists’ special contributions, and awarding stipends to meritorious children of journalists.
The trust will have two funds – permanent and current-and the government will be the main source of funding.
Information Minister Inu accepted an amendment proposal from independent MP Rustam Ali Farazi.
Farazi proposed including the adult disabled brothers and sisters as dependents of the family of a journalist apart of wife, husband, daughter, son, father, mother, minor brother and sister, and widow sister.
The Minister rejected all other amendment proposal, sending it to the elicit public opinion and select committee for taking consideration. These proposals were given in the floor and the MPs reject those by voice vote.
Parliament on Tuesday passed the ‘Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust Bill, 2014’ aiming to provide support to ailing, insolvent and injured journalists.
Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu moved the bill in the House that was passed by voice vote.
Earlier, on April 2, Information Minister introduced the bill for ensuring the welfare of poor, insolvent, sick and wounded journalists, and the family members of deceased journalists.
According to the bill, a 13-memmebr board of trustee would be constituted with the Information Minister as the chairman of the board, while Information Secretary as its vice-chairman.
The trust will be a statutory body and the managing director to be appointed by the government, will act as member secretary of the trust.
The other members of the trust are: Principal Information Officer (PIO), a DG-level officer to be nominated by the Prime Ministers’ Office; a Finance Division official with the rank and status not below joint secretary; director general of the Press Institute of Bangladesh; joint secretary (press) from the Ministry of Information; two representatives of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and three journalists to be nominated by the government.
Narrating the objectives of the bill, the Information Minister said the trust would provide financial assistance to the poor, insolvent, sick and wounded journalists, stipends for journalists’ special contributions, and awarding stipends to meritorious children of journalists.
The trust will have two funds – permanent and current-and the government will be the main source of funding.
Information Minister Inu accepted an amendment proposal from independent MP Rustam Ali Farazi.
Farazi proposed including the adult disabled brothers and sisters as dependents of the family of a journalist apart of wife, husband, daughter, son, father, mother, minor brother and sister, and widow sister.
The Minister rejected all other amendment proposal, sending it to the elicit public opinion and select committee for taking consideration. These proposals were given in the floor and the MPs reject those by voice vote.
