Lok Sabha Question No. 183 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-14
Subject: Working conditions including Salary, Perks of Journalists
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Hemant Patil, Unmesh Bhaiyyasaheb Patil, Sambhajirao Mane Dhairyasheel, Sujay Radhakrishna Vikhepatil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 183 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.09.2020

## WORKING CONDITIONS INCLUDING SALARY, PERKS OF JOURNALISTS

183. DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

SHRI DHAIRYASHEEL SAMBHAJIRAO MANE:

DR. SUJAY RADHAKRISHNA VIKHE PATIL:

SHRI HEMANT SRIRAM PATIL:

SHRI UNMESH BHAIYYASAHEB PATIL:

Will  the  Minister  of  LABOUR  AND  EMPLOYMENT  be  pleased  to state:

- (a)the  details  of  statutes  governing  the  working  conditions  including salary, perks etc. of the journalists in the country;
- (b)the mechanism put in place by the Government to ensure its strict compliance across the country;
- (c)whether the print and electronic media persons and journalists are covered under the Minimum Wages Act, Provident Fund, ESI pension
- scheme(s) and Social Security Schemes; and
- (d)if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?
- ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

(a)& (b): The Working Journalists and Other Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955, inter alia,  covers  under  its  ambit  conditions  of  employment  of  working journalists for improvement and regulation of the service conditions of Working Journalists and also for Non-Journalists Newspaper Employees.

The Working Journalists Act addresses the issues of hours of work, leave fixation and revising rates of wages which includes the constitution  of  a  Wage  Board.  The  Working  Journalists  Act  also provides for the Board so established to provide its recommendations and defines the powers and procedure of the Board. It also gives the Central  Government  powers  to  enforce  the  recommendations  of  the

Wage Board.

The primary responsibility for implementation of recommendations lies with the State Governments/UTs. The responsibility of the State Governments include creating special cells, to oversee the progress of implementation of Wage Board recommendations,  to  send  the  Quarterly  Progress  Report  to  the Ministry  and  to  gear  up  the  State  Labour  Enforcement  Machinery  to ensure speedy and prompt implementation of the recommendations of the Wage  Boards.  The  Ministry has a Central Level Monitoring Committee to oversee the implementation of Wage Board Recommendations by the States.

(c) & (d): The  news  paper  establishments  and  Electronic  Media Companies in private sector are covered under Employees' Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. The employees working in these establishments are entitled to social security benefits in the form of  Provident  Fund,  Pension  and  Deposit-Linked  Insurance  under provisions of the Act and the Schemes framed thereunder. Moreover, print  and  electronic  media  persons  and  journalists  who  are  getting salary up to Rs. 21,000/per month and employed in the units/establishments  covered  under  the  ESI  Act,  1948  are  coverable under the Act. After coverage, insured persons are eligible to avail the benefits provided under the Act as per their entitlement.

Further, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting implements 'Journalist Welfare Scheme' to provide one time ex-gratia relief  on  urgent  basis  to  journalists  or  their  families  under  extreme hardship  or  on  account  of  death  of  journalists  and  also  to  the journalists in case of permanent disability, major ailments and in case of accidents causing serious injuries necessitating hospitalization.

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