Bhubaneswar: The State Government on Friday came to the rescue of a journalist who is in dire need of a kidney transplant and as initial aid provided Rs 2 lakh from the Odisha Working Journalists’ Welfare Fund.
Aditya Panda, Dhenkanal district representative of a leading Odia daily Prameya, has lost both his kidneys. While his sister has agreed to donate one of her kidney to Aditya, the transplant will cost around Rs 9 lakh.
On direction of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to provide financial assistance from the Odisha Working Journalists’ Welfare Fund, Advisor to Information and Public Relations Department (I&PR), Manas Mangaraj, handed over the initial aid of Rs 2 lakh to Aditya.
After handing over cheque of the said amount to Aditya, Manas said that steps are being taken to cover the remaining expenses of the surgery. He even asserted that journalists suffering from any critical illness can contact I&PR department to receive assistance from the Odisha Working Journalists’ Welfare Fund.
