New Delhi: The BJP on 18 April announced a monthly allowance of Rs 5,000 to journalists if the party comes to power in West Bengal. Ahead of polling day, BJP West Bengal chief Samik Bhattacharya announced in Kolkata that the party would support active media professionals. “There will be no division among journalists; the scheme will apply to everyone who meets the eligibility criteria,” he said while announcing it.
“Whether it is those write for us, or those who write against us—everyone is our friend.” “We respect your freedom and rights,” he added in a lighter vein.
Bhattacharya said that the proposed measure is intended to ensure financial help and instill a sense of security for members of the media fraternity.
The proposal goes beyond active schemes in other states in the sense that it promises an allowance to working journalists, unlike in other states where such schemes offer pensions for retired journalists.
Journalist Sheela Bhatt, a former treasurer of the Editors’ Guild of India told ThePrint, “We should add that Samik Bhattacharya is doing what Congress and all other political parties have been doing for decades…We get preferential treatment in health insurance and in many other ways. In the past, our seniors have been pampered by the political class. They offered huge discount in allotting land…in the pre-BJP era. Things are so bad that the offer of Rs 5,000 per month is no news because journalists in recent past have been getting bigger favours in so many hidden and not-so-hidden ways.”
New Delhi-based journalist Sanjay Kapoor said, “Why should a journalist working for a publication or a news channel get an allowance? Though it makes sense to give one to an unemployed journalists as the companies don’t provide post retirement benefits; like you have in the private sector. What the BJP offers to journalists shouldn’t color their copy.”
The ruling party of West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), since 2016, has implemented Maavoi—the West Bengal Health Scheme—specifically tailored for journalists.
However, West Bengal is not the only state to announce welfare schemes for journalists and media workers. Though this marks the first time a party has proposed a direct monthly allowance for active journalists, similar welfare announcements have frequently surfaced during past election cycles.
In the past, several states have introduced schemes (announced by the parties in their manifestos) focused primarily on healthcare and pensions for journalists with at least 20 years of continuous service in the field.
The BJP’s proposed Rs 5,000 allowance in West Bengal differs, as it is for journalists who are currently active.
In Rajasthan, ahead of the assembly elections, the BJP promised the Varishth Patrakar Samman scheme. After coming to power in 2023, the party implemented its promise, and the current Bhajan Lal Sharma government provides Rs 15,000 as monthly pension to journalists.
Last month in Tamil Nadu, ahead of the assembly elections, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin passed an order increasing the pension for journalists from Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 per month. In addition, family pension benefits under the scheme were raised from Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,500 per month.
In another BJP-ruled state, Bihar, where the party recently won the assembly elections, it renamed its pension scheme from the Patrakar Pension Yojana to the Bihar Patrakar Samman Yojana, while increasing the monthly pension for retired journalists from Rs 6,000 to Rs 15,000.
In Goa, the BJP government runs two primary schemes for journalists. The ‘Assistance for Purchase of Laptop/Camera’ scheme, launched in 2021, was initially discontinued due to poor response; however, following demands from the Goa Union of Journalists (GUJ), the Pramod Sawant-led government relaunched it in 2025.
Additionally, the Patrakar Kritadnyata Nidhi Scheme (launched in 2010) in Goa provides up to Rs 2,00,000 as a one-time immediate aid to journalists in indigent circumstances.
In Puducherry, the government offers a monthly pension of Rs 6,000 for retired journalists. In Assam, the government provides a one-time grant of Rs 5,00,000 to 20 selected journalists per year.
Journalists in Bengal say they welcome financial help for health purposes, but are skeptical about monthly allowances.
“I am not in favour of any allowance from any government of any party for journalists, including the most recent offer from the BJP in West Bengal. Instead, a holistic health cover benefit like the CGHS should be there for their welfare,” Sudipta Sengupta, Editor, 4thPillar WeThePeople, told ThePrint.
Another journalist from the Press Club of Kolkata, requesting anonymity, said: “It’s not what journalists ask for; we don’t want a monthly allowance, we want freedom from political pressure while reporting.”
In Kerala, the situation is slightly different. The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) has been lobbying to increase the monthly pension from Rs 11,000 to Rs 20,000 to keep up with the rising cost of living. Consequently, the Kerala government increased the pension to Rs 13,000 in the 2026 budget.
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh both offer the ‘Working Journalists Health Scheme’. In Telangana, it is managed under the Rajiv Aarogya Sri Healthcare Trust. In Andhra Pradesh, it is part of the Dr NTR Vaidya Seva Trust and Aarogya Aasara, which provides a sustenance allowance to journalists undergoing specific medical treatments.
Velamarthi Venkatachalam is an alum of ThePrint School of Journalism, currently interning with ThePrint.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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