Staff reporter:
State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasser Khan Choudhury today said the government is working to prepare a list of genuine journalists following consultation with different journalists association to uphold the dignity of the profession.
The state minister said this while responding to a supplementary question raised by treasury bench lawmaker Zainul Abedin Faruque of Noakhali-2 during the question-answer session at the Jatiya Sangsad here today with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir-Bikram in the chair.
“We have taken various measures and exchanging views regularly with different journalists’ bodies including Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) and Broadcast Journalists Association for preparing a list of the genuine journalists”, he said.
The list of the journalists will be prepared based on the opinion of the journalists’ bodies as the government will not interfere to fix the criteria of a professional journalist, the state minister told the parliament.
Yasser Khan said the government firmly believes in freedom of press and we are committed to authentic journalism, and we encourage it.
Zainul Abedin Faruque in his speech urged the government to prepare a list of real journalists and formulate rules to check fake journalism.
He said a group of unqualified persons who impersonate them as journalist, are using fake identity cards while spreading fake news using the social media platform and tarnishing the image of the real journalists.
Nilofer Chowdhury Moni, a treasury bench member from reserved women’s seats placed the written question in the house. Replying to her question on behalf of the Information and Broadcasting Minister Andalib Rahman, the state minister informed the house that a total of 1,344 journalists have received Taka 6.48 crore as welfare grants during the tenure of the current government.
During the same period, scholarships amounting to Taka 73.26 lakh were provided to 402 students from journalists’ families in the 2025-26 fiscal year.
The state minister said the government has undertaken and implemented various programmes to ensure the professional dignity, financial security, social protection and overall welfare of the journalists.
To this end, the Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust was established in 2014 through an act of parliament. Subsequently, the Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust Rules, 2016 was also framed and published in the official gazette on April 13, 2016, he added.
He said the trust provides financial assistance to financially distressed, sick, accident-injured, unemployed and deceased journalists, as well as their family members.
In particular, welfare grants are provided in cases of journalists’ death, serious illness, accidents and financial hardship in accordance with established policies, he said.
The minister said scholarships and financial assistance are also being provided to meritorious and financially insolvent students from journalists’ families to help them continue their education.
Besides, programmes were undertaken to provide financial assistance and recognition to journalists and their families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, families of journalists killed in connection with the July mass uprising, and courageous journalists.
He further said grants are provided after scrutiny of applications, examination of necessary documents and approval by the appropriate authorities and the board of trustees in accordance with the Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust Rules, 2016.
Initiatives have also been taken to distribute funds through beneficiaries’ bank accounts to ensure transparency and accountability in the grant distribution process, he added.
Since the establishment of the trust, a total of Taka 67.14 crore was distributed among 19,321 journalists and their family members, he said.
