PWF awards financial assistance to journalists
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, November 21 2021: Paomee Welfare Foundation (PWF), a charitable trust of All Manipur Working Journalists! Union (AM-WJU), awarded financial assistance totalling Rs 3.3 lakh to six journalists to cover medical treatment expenses incurred by them, on themselves or their nominees during April-September, 2021.The medical conditions for which assistance were doled out included cancer, liver cirrhosis, haemoptysis and Covid-19 infection.

Alongside the disbursement of the financial assistance held at Manipur Press Club, PWF also invited applications from bonande journalists for phase-2 of the Medical Financial Assistance for the year 2021-22 for treatment expenses incurred in between October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.The next disbursement would be done in April 2022.The financial assistance to the six beneficiaries were handed over by the PWF team led by its chairperson and newly elected AMWJU president Wangkhemcha Shamjai, along with other trustees of the Foundation namely N Tombiraj, Asem Bhakta and Sunzu Bachaspatimayum.

With four out of the six beneficiaries having already received immediate financial assistance from AMWJU, their respective amount received as advance were deducted from the amount, recommended by the Medical Board.

Poknapham executive editor Gautam Sharma Shamurailatpam was awarded Rs 90,000 as assistance for treatment of his mother.

M Kaimuanthang, Churachand-pur correspondent of The People's chronicle, received Rs 75,000 for medical expenses incurred on his wife, who unfortunately succumbed to her ailment; Chongfham Meghabarna of Paonilkhon was awarded Rs 50,000; Kh Inaomacha Singh and Wahengbam Lalpal of Impact TV received Rs 30,000 and Rs.35,000 respectively.

K Sarojkumar Sharma of Morning Bell was awarded Rs 50,000 for his medical bills.

During a brief interaction, the beneficiaries expressed their heart felt gratitude for the assistance provided by PWF-AMWJU and hoped that such assistance will continue to assist working journalists in the future too.

PWF chairperson Shyamjai recalled that a corpus fund of Rs 85 lakh was raised in 2017 and deposited with SBI.

Out of the interest earned from the bank, the medical financial assistance is being provided to past and present AMWJU members every six months in a calendar year.

He further gave assurance to raise the corpus fund amount through another fund raising event to increase the reimbursement, provided as assistance.

PWF's financial assistance are doled out on the basis of the recommendations made by the Medical Board of PWF, consisting of RIMS director Dr A Santa Singh, as representative of RIMS, Dr O Guneshwar Singh representing JNIMS and Shija Hospitals and Research Institute managing director Dr Kh Palin representing the same hospital.

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