Bhubaneswar: In an embarssment to the ruling BJD in the Assembly, a former information and Public Relations Minister today ridiculed the government for being unable to assertain the number of journalists while it could conduct census of wild animals in woods.
"While the state govenment could count tigers, bear, elephants in forests and fishes, crocodiles and dolphins in water, it has failed to assertain the number of scribes in Odisha," said senior BJD MLA Prafulla Samal while expressing concern over the government's lack of concern for the working journalists.
As the state government has announced welfare schemes for all sections of society, Samal said it must fulfil a 7-point charter of demands of working journalists.
The issue was raised by Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh of Congress as soon as the House assembled on the last day of the 14th Assembly.
Former Minister and BJD's senior leader Amar Prasad Satpathy said the state government should inform the outcome of the committee on the working journalists problems. he demanded that the government should announce schemes for journalists before the next general elections.
BJD's Ananta Das, Rajendra Das, Jiban Pradip das, Sudarshan Jena, Trinath Soren, Khageswar Behera and Prafulla Mallick strongly demanded redressal of the genuine grievances.