DHAKA: The Jatiya Sangsad (JS) on Tuesday passed the ‘Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust Bill 2014’ with the view to ensuring wellbeing of the poor, insolvent, sick and wounded journalists and the family members of deceased journalists. 

Information Minister Hasanul Haque Inu moved the bill in the parliament and it was passed in the voice-vote. 

Earlier, AKM Rahmatullah, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Information proposed the amended bill in the House. 

On April 2, 2014, Inu introduced the bill, which was later sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Information for vetting. 

The bill was passed with the provision of forming a 13-memmebr board of trustee with the Information Minister as its chairman and Information Secretary as the vice-chairman. 

The other members of the trust are- Principal Information Officer (PIO), a Director General (DG) level officer to be nominated by the Prime Ministers’ Office, a finance division officer with the rank and status of not below a joint secretary, director general of Bangladesh Press Institute, joint secretary (Press) from the Ministry of Information, two Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) representatives and three journalists to be nominated by the government.

BDST: 1704 HRS, JUL 01, 2014