Geneva/ Guwahati, 17 February 2021: Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), a Switzerland based media watchdog, has lauded the Indian Union government in New Delhi for exercising a massive corona-vaccination program and also extending financial aids to the bereaved families of media corona warriors. PEC (www.pressemblem.ch) also urges other nations across the globe to follow the example. Mentionable is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government has decided to offer rupees five lakh (USD 6500) each for kin of 39 journalists who succumbed to Covid-19 complications since March 2020, as proposed by the journalist welfare committee under the Press Information Bureau (PIB), an official media organ of the government. “Appreciating New Delhi, we continue to reiterate that the novel corona virus infections have taken away the precious lives of over 800 journalists in 66 countries and still counting that reminds the necessity of precautions and also supports to the victims.
India remains in the fourth position of the list of media corona victims, preceded by Peru (108 casualties), Brazil (95) and Mexico (86),” said PEC secretary-general Blaise Lampen.
India is followed by Italy (45 dead), Bangladesh (44), Ecuador (42), USA (41), UK (25), Pakistan (23), Turkey (21), Colombia (21), Panama (16), Ukraine (14), Bolivia (14), Russia (13), Spain (11) etc in the PEC prepared list of journo-victims due to the pandemic. The acclaimed forum, while offering heartfelt condolences to families and colleagues of the deceased, argues for early vaccinations for journalists on the frontlines.
