<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh on Thursday announced a grant of another Tk 10 crore to the Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust (BJWT).</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>She made the announcement at the Delegates Conference-2023 of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists at the National Press Club.</div><div><br></div><div>“As I’ve established it (BJWT) and come here this time again, I will give a grant of another Tk 10 crore to the BJWT,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina said that she gave a seed money when she constituted the BJWT for the welfare of the country’s journalists.</div><div><br></div><div>PM Hasina initiated the trust fund in 2014 by giving seed money of Tk 5 crore.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, she also gave more grants in different times.</div><div><br></div><div>During her speech at BFUJ representative conference, she also said that Awami League government has prioritised the welfare of journalists.</div><div><br></div><div>“We’ve formulated the 'Journalist Support Allowance and Grant Policy-2012' and the 'Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust Act-2014' to institutionalise the journalist support programe.”</div><div><br></div><div>She said, a board of trustees has been formed under this act.</div><div><br></div><div>In October 2018, the premier donated Tk 20 crore to Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that since the fiscal year (FY) 2015-2016 to June 2023 a total of Taka 29,81,50,000 has been distributed as welfare grant to 3,433 journalists and journalist families.</div><div><br></div><div>In addition, she said, in the first phase of the Covid-19 period, BJWT distributed Taka 3.35 crore among the affected 3,350 journalists across the country in the FY 2019-2020.</div><div><br></div><div>In the second phase, in the FYs 2020-2021, 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, the government allocated another Tk 10 crore from BJWT to the journalists affected by Corona.</div><div><br></div><div>So far, a total of Tk 6,72,70,000 has been given to a total number of 6,727 journalist affected by Coronavirus where each received Tk 10,000 under the Prime Minister’s special financial support. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>