May 23, 2020

ShrI Edappadi K. Palaniswami,

Chief Minister,Tamil Nadu

Chennai.

Subject : Crisis in the media community during the Corona era and the help of unemployed journalists.

Honorable Palaniswami ji

The National Union of Journalists (India), a national family and largest trade union of working journalists in the country, founded on January 23, 1972 in New Delhi by eminent journalists. The NUJ(INDIA) is an umbrella organisation of journalists having more than 18,000 members across the country. It has 24 state units across the country.

The outbreak of the Corona epidemic has had the opposite effect in all areas. To overcome this crisis, your government is doing credible work. Media in Tamil Nadu has played a big role in making the public aware during this time. Our organization wants to draw your attention to the pathetic condition of journalists working in different regions of Tamil Nadu through this letter. In Tamil Nadu as well as other districts and local working journalists, the crisis of livelihood has been deepened due to the closure or retrenchment of medium and small newspapers during the Corona period. Local TV channels are also struggling. A large number of journalists have not received their salaries. In such a situation, it has become very difficult to pay house rent, to pay school fees for children and to arrange ration for the family. Some journalists had to ask for a loan to arrange medicine when they were ill.

Our National Secretary Mr K K Kandhasamy and S Muruganandam, President of the National Union of Journalists (Tamil Nadu) our affiliated state unit in Tamil Nadu and his colleagues are trying to help journalists in this hour of crisis. Some people have also been given ration. Due to the increasing number of aggrieved journalists and our limited economic resources, it is no longer possible to help.

NUJ(I) appeals you to give financial assistance to the journalists who are facing financial crisis in various districts of Tamil Nadu. Our organization can provide the list of such journalists to the district officials.

Hope you accept our request.

Yours sincerely

Ras Bihari                                Katha Kri Kandhasamy                                   S Muruganandam

President NUJ(I)                  National Secretary, NUJ(I)                           President, NUJ(Tamil Nadu)

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