Question : Treatment of Media Person as Frontline Workers

Will the Minister of Health and Family Welfare be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware of the number of media personnel who have contracted
COVID-19 and died from the disease, if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Government plans to include media personnel within the ambit of frontline workers;
(c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
(d) whether the Government proposes to formulate or has formulated financial assistance programs/ schemes for those media personnel whose livelihood, health and income has been affected by COVID-19 and if so, the details of the package thereof and if not the reasons therefor?

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTERY OF HEALTH AND
FAMILY WELFARE
(DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a) to (d) Health is a state subject. Detailed guidelines for reporting of deaths have been issued by Union Health Ministry to all States/UTs. Accordingly, all States/UTs report cases and deaths to Union Health Ministry on a regular basis. As on 2nd August 2021, a total of 4,24,773 death have been reported by States/UTs.
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting undertook a special drive for providing financial assistance to the families of journalists who succumbed to COVID-19. On the basis of applications received by the Press Information Bureau, which fulfill the criteria laid under the Journalist Welfare Scheme (JWS) administered by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, a sum of Rs. 5.05 crore was approved during 2020 and 2021 for financial assistance at a rate of Rs.5 Lakh/family to each of 101 families of journalists who died due to COVID-19.