The demand for pensions for retired journalists was raised at the 26th Annual Day celebration of the Odisha Union of Journalists (OUJ) at Jayadev Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
Besides the pension demand, the journalists who participated in the celebration also demanded the withdrawal of the restrictions imposed on journalists from visiting Lok Seva Bhawan.
Also Read: Opposition Demands Entry Of Journalists Into Odisha Lok Seva Bhawan & Assembly
Electronics and Information Technology Minister Tushar Kanti Behera said the demand of the journalists will be fulfilled in the coming days.
OTV’s senior journalists-Jagdish Das and Swati Jena along with OUJ’s two senior members and six journalists were felicitated at the event.
Worth mentioning, senior journalist Prasanna Mohanty has once again been elected as the president of OUJ. The election for several key posts of the Union is held every year.
While Odisha Assembly Speaker Pramila Mallik attended the event as the chief guest, Electronics and Information Technology Minister Tushar Kanti Behera, BJD MP Munna Khan, and Congress MLA Suresh Routray were among the other attendees.
Notably, the journalists were debarred from visiting Lok Seva Bhawan during the COVID-19 pandemic time.
Even though the pandemic situation no longer prevails, the ban on journalists is still in force. Besides journalists, the leaders of the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have been raising the issue inside and outside the Odisha Assembly time and again.