CM Announces Pension Increase for Retired Journalists

PTI, September 1, 2026, Kolkata: Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday announced doubling the monthly social security pension for retired journalists to Rs 5,000 with effect from September 1 and also launched the distribution of health cards under the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana.

The announcement was made at a programme attended by representatives of the Press Club and senior journalists.

Under the health scheme, journalists and their families were eligible for cashless treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh at empanelled hospitals across the country, Adhikari said.

The Chief Minister highlighted that the health insurance facility would cover around 38,000 government and private hospitals across India, including AIIMS, Christian Medical College (CMC)-Vellore, Tata Cancer Hospital in Mumbai, PGIMER-Chandigarh, and Dr Reddy's Hospital in Hyderabad.

Within West Bengal, the facility would be available at around 1,900 government and private hospitals, besides those covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme across the country, he said.

Contrasting it with the previous government's similar scheme, Adhikari said the TMC dispensation's Swasthya Sathi scheme provided cashless treatment in just around 1,700 hospitals in the state.

Journalists and their family members who are not eligible for Ayushman Bharat due to specified conditions or age-related criteria would be brought directly under the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana, he said.

The process would be overseen by Information and Culture Secretary Dr Soumitra Mohan and Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam.

No political or ministerial recommendation would be required to avail the benefits, the Chief Minister said.

About the revised pension scheme, Adhikari said it would cover a wider section of retired journalists, including those who had worked in news desks or did not have press accreditation cards, subject to meeting eligibility criteria.