The Senior Journalists’ Forum of Karnataka has urged the State government to ease the stringent eligibility norms for the grant of monthly pensions and to extend the benefit to all journalists, who have attained the age of 60.At the annual general body meeting held in Bengaluru, the forum members unanimously passed a resolution and stated that all journalists who have served for at least 20 years in recognised media organisations listed by the Department of Information and Public Relations and have attained the age of 60 should be considered eligible for the monthly pension.The forum also demanded that accreditation issued by the department be made valid for life for those accredited for a period of 20 years or more.Addressing the gathering, K. Shanthakumari, secretary of the Senior Journalists’ Federation of India (SJFI), criticised the government for imposing ‘unreasonable restrictions’ and called for a uniform pension system for senior journalists across the country.SJFI executive committee member Shastri Ramachandaran urged the government to implement a national-level health and pension policy for journalists through State administrations. He also called for the reinstatement of railway travel concessions for senior journalists and advocated the establishment of a National Media Commission to assess the condition of the media and address the needs of retired journalists, many of whom live in difficult circumstances.Published - October 11, 2025 07:57 pm IST