The Press Council of India (PCI) has written to the Centre, urging it to treat journalists who succumbed to coronavirus as COVID warriors.

“The council recommends to the central government to include the journalists, who died due to COVID-19, in the category of COVID warriors like the doctors and others and confer them with the same benefits,” PCI said in its letter to the Centre.

In its letter to the Centre and all state governments, the PCI also called for framing and implementing a group insurance scheme for journalists.

Also read: COVID-19 claims 500 journalists’ lives across world including 51 in India

The PCI said, “The council resolves to recommend to all the state governments, union territories and the central government to frame and implement a group insurance scheme for the journalists in the pattern of the policy framed by the Haryana Government.”

Earlier, the Press Association along with Indian Journalists Union, Indian News cameraman Association and National Union of Journalists had earlier submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare journalists as Covid-19 warriors.

Notably, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu also had echoed similar sentiments in his address to media, the Press Association said in a statement.