In order to respect the efforts and the undying spirit of those who have put their lives on the line to grace people with the gift of information, the Assam government has introduced the Assam One time Grant for Media personality scheme.
This scheme, essentially, is financial assistance offered to journalists in the state who have no particular affiliation to any political party.
Only those journalists who have published or broadcast at least three success stories of government schemes in the span of the last 12 months can apply for the scheme. The Assam One Time Grant for Media Personality scheme 2021 will come into effect and will be conducted annually.
What does the scheme offer journalists?
According to the official guidelines of the Assam One Time Grant for Media Personality scheme, each winning journalist will get financial remuneration of ₹50,000 annually. The major objective of the scheme is to primarily encourage journalists to become unbiased, truth-seeking agents who are unaffected by political biases and have no intention of acting as puppets in the hands of specific political parties.
Objectives of the One Time Grant
- To maintain the dignity of media persons.
- To inspire and motivate media personnel to excel in the field of journalism and to outdo efforts in ensuring that only the truth reaches the masses.
Eligibility criteria for the Journalism Scheme
In order to be eligible for the benefits of the scheme, the following criteria needs to be met:
- The applicant must be a permanent resident of Assam.
- The applicant must be an accredited or recognised journalist of Assam.
- The scheme benefits are open to all mainstream media journalists who have recognition or accreditation card of DIPR, Assam including freelancers from all forms of journalism – print, electronic and even News Agencies.
- The minimum age of the journalist should be 40 years. There is no upper limit of age.
- The applicant must ideally have at least fifteen years of experience in the field of journalism.
- Reporters/journalists in print and electronic media have to submit 3 research-based news/features/videos/documentaries. They must ideally have a minimum of three success stories of highlighting government schemes published/broadcast in their respective media outlets during the last 12 months.
- A permanent/temporary/contractual employee of any government/semi-government/autonomous body/board/corporation/council is not eligible to apply for the benefits of the scheme.
- The applicant’s affiliation to any political party will be termed as a disqualification instantly.
- The annual income of the applicant should be less than ₹5 lakh. The income certificate issued by the Circle officer should essentially be enclosed along with the application.
- Journalist Pension Holder is not considered eligible to apply for the scheme.
- An applicant who is selected once for the scheme will not be eligible to apply again for the scheme.
Summing it up
With the implementation of such a scheme, journalists in the state of Assam are encouraged to stay loyal to the demands of their job and offer the masses unbiased news pieces.