Financial assistance to ailing journalist from Hailakandi

April 24: The Government of Assam has extended Rs 20,000 to ailing veteran journalist from Hailakandi, Debdas Purkayastha, on Friday. Officer on Special Duty to Chief Minister, Barak Valley, Shekhar Dey informed this morning to District Information and Public Relations Officer, Sabir Nishat. Purkayastha informed Nishat about his health condition when the latter called him up to inquire about his well being in view of the lockdown.

Nishat took up the matter of ailing journalist with OSD to Chief Minister, Dey and Director of Information and Public Relations (I&PR), Anupom Choudhury and Liaison Officer, Zahid Ahmed Tapadar. Dey wrote a letter to Media Adviser to Chief Minister, Hrishikesh Goswami on Monday requesting for financial help to the ailing journalist so that he could continue his treatment and buy life saving drugs. Media Adviser to Chief Minister, Goswami instructed Director, I & PR, Choudhury to make the one-time financial assistance to the senior journalist from the Journalists’ Medical Welfare Scheme. The journalists of Hailakandi expressed their happiness for timely medical aid to Purkayastha.

Debdas Purkayastha, who has had a chequered career in the field of journalism spanning over four decades, was felicitated by the Media Adviser to Chief Minister at the National Press Day held centrally at Silchar last year.
The district police also stepped in, as part of its mission to reach out to the elderly during the lockdown, procured medicine from Guwahati for the veteran journalist and two other senior citizens, namely former professor of SS College Bijit Kumar Bhattacharjee and retired engineer, GREF, Ranju Kumar Nath, and handed over the packets to them at their home on Friday.