In a bid to encourage and honour the tireless and unparalleled contribution of journalists, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced Rs 10 lakh financial aid for family members of scribes who died due to COVID-19. On the occasion of 'Hindi Journalism Day', Adityanath said, "From the freedom movement to the present times, Hindi journalism has had an unprecedented contribution in social awakening and nation-building. My heartfelt greetings to all journalists on Hindi Journalism Day."
The chief minister said that the government is committed to providing all support to journalists and will continue to encourage them.
Praising the efforts of journalists, he said, "During such challenging and testing times, all journalists and media workers have risked their lives to bring to us relevant and authentic information. They have worked 24x7 which is commendable."
During the second wave of the pandemic, many journalists across the country got infected on duty and lost their lives, leaving their families helpless, the UP government said.
COVID-19 situation in Uttar Pradesh
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday relaxed the COVID-19 lockdown from June 1 allowing shops and markets outside containment zones to open for five days a week, but it would not be implemented for now in 20 districts where active cases are over 600. Once the tally of active COVID-19 cases in these districts falls below 600, relaxation will be implemented there, said Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary RK Tiwari.
The COVID-19 death toll in Uttar Pradesh rose to 20,346 on Sunday with 140 more fatalities, while 1,908 new cases pushed the infection tally to 16,90,016, an official statement issued here said.
Of the new fatalities, Gorakhpur reported 15 deaths, followed by 12 each in Allahabad and Kushinagar, the state government said in the statement.
Of the new cases, Meerut reported 112 infections, while Lucknow recorded 109 cases, it said.
In the past 24 hours, as many as 6,713 COVID-19 patients have recovered, taking the overall recoveries in the state to 16,28,456.
The count of active cases stands at 41,214, the statement said.
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