Wage board for electronic media under scrutiny: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government is examining the formation of a wage board for electronic media professionals, reports BSS.
“The wage board would be constituted for journalists and technicians of the electronic media following the existing law,” she said, while replying to a tabled question from opposition bench member M Nurul Islam Omar in the House.
The Prime Minister said the government has undertaken initiatives to formulate organizational structure and rules for the Journalist Welfare Trust, including collecting ‘seed money’ of the trust.
Initiatives have been taken to update the Bangladesh Press Council Act, 1974, Sheikh Hasina informed the House.
She said the process for distributing Taka 1.20 crore in the fiscal year 2014-15 under the Journalist Assistance Allowance/Grant Policy, 2012 is underway.
The government also distributed Taka 2.60 crore among 427 journalists/deceased journalist families in 2011-2012, 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 fiscal year, the Prime Minister added.
She told the House that lunching of the ‘Masters Course’ on journalism is underway in the Press Institute of Bangladesh, adding, “A final draft of the ‘Online Mass Media Assistance Policy, 2015 is awaiting for approval by the authority.”

Wage board for electronic media under scrutiny: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government is examining the formation of a wage board for electronic media professionals, reports BSS. The wage board would be constituted for journalists and technicians of the electronic media following the existing law, she said, while replying to a tabled question from opposition bench member M Nurul Islam Omar in the House. The Prime Minister said the government has undertaken initiatives to formulate organizational structure and rules for the Journalist Welfare Trust, including collecting seed money of the trust. Initiatives have been taken to update the Bangladesh Press Council Act, 1974, Sheikh Hasina informed the House. She said the process for distributing Taka 1.20 crore in the fiscal year 2014-15 under the Journalist Assistance Allowance/Grant Policy, 2012 is underway. The government also distributed Taka 2.60 crore among 427 journalists/deceased journalist families in 2011-2012, 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 fiscal year, the Prime Minister added. She told the House that lunching of the Masters Course on journalism is underway in the Press Institute of Bangladesh, adding, A final draft of the Online Mass Media Assistance Policy, 2015 is awaiting for approval by the authority.