Press Club Delegation Raises Long-Pending Health Insurance Issue for Journalists

Ranchi EW Correspondent : A delegation of journalists led by Ranchi Press Club President Surendra Lal Soren met with newly elected Gandey MLA Kalpana Soren at her residence in Ranchi. During the meeting, the delegation presented a memorandum highlighting key issues concerning the welfare of journalists in the state. President Surendra Lal Soren outlined several pressing demands through the memorandum, noting that the matter of health insurance for journalists has been pending for over a year. Additionally, the memorandum called for the prompt implementation of a pension scheme, housing scheme, and journalist protection law within the state. The delegation also emphasized the need for the official transfer and repair of the Press Club building. They pointed out that the restriction on journalists’ entry into the Jharkhand Secretariat over the past few months is undemocratic and hampers clean, fearless, and transparent journalism. The memorandum further requested that secretaries and director-level officials set aside time to meet with journalists and share departmental achievements with the media once a month. Kalpana Soren assured the journalists that she would take positive steps and urge the Chief Minister to address these issues. The delegation included Joint Secretary Ratan Lal, Treasurer Kuber Singh, Executive Members Rana Gautam, Monu Kumar, Saurabh Shukla, as well as former Press Club President Rajesh Singh, former Secretary Javed Akhtar, Shakeel Akhtar, and Vivek Pandey.