ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will launch a health insurance scheme for journalists on Aug 7, Information Minister Marriyum Auran­gzeb said on Monday.

The form for registration in the scheme is available on the websites of the Press Information Depart­ment and the Ministry of Information.

Registration of journalists would be done through a digital form to ensure transparency, Ms Aurangzeb said.

According to the minister, the government has allocated Rs 1 billion for the scheme in the federal budget. Ms Aurangzeb said the scheme would cover “all health facilities”.

“Health insurance and salaries of journalists have always been an issue,” she observed, adding that the government had recovered Rs110 million through the platform of the Indepe­ndent Tribunal for News­paper Employees and made direct payments to print media staffers.

She said the health insurance scheme was applicable to all journalists and media workers, regardless of whether an individual was a press club member or not.

Ms Aurangzeb made it clear that the PM’s Health Card scheme was different from the facility being launched next month. “These are two separate schemes.”

She further clarified that a journalist who was a beneficiary of the PM’s card scheme would not be eligible for the Journalists’ Health Insurance Scheme.

Referring to complaints about curbs on the media,

Ms Aurangzeb said the present government had taken no action against journalists who were critical of its decisions and performance.

“All stakeholders were taken into confidence for preparation of the PEMRA (Amendment) Bill and no one opposed the move.”

She added, however, that only “a certain group” was carrying out a propaganda campaign against the proposed law.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Liberties lost
Updated 10 Dec, 2023

Liberties lost

As Pakistan marks Human Rights Day today, it confronts a troubling panorama of human rights violations.
Careless remarks
10 Dec, 2023

Careless remarks

WHAT prompted the caretaker interior minister to sound a public alarm over the country’s political leadership...
Urea shortage
10 Dec, 2023

Urea shortage

IT is the time of the year when urea fertiliser vanishes from the market, and wheat growers are forced to pay a...
Healing old wounds
09 Dec, 2023

Healing old wounds

IN a development that will surely shine a spotlight on one of the darkest chapters in Pakistan’s democracy, the...
New Danish law
09 Dec, 2023

New Danish law

THE public defilement of Islamic sanctities — mainly by Islamophobic provocateurs in the West — serves no...
Elected set-up’s job
09 Dec, 2023

Elected set-up’s job

Backed by a powerful establishment, the interim government has done a fairly good job at executing IMF-mandated policies.