Thiruvananthapuram, Aug. 17 -- The first-ever national conference of senior journalists in India, to be held here from August 19 to 21, will make a strong call for the introduction of a national pension scheme for journalists.

The demand arises from the wide disparities in social security benefits available to retired journalists across states.

The three-day conference, hosted by the Senior Journalists' Forum-Kerala (SJFK), is expected to draw around 250 delegates from 21 states. The deliberations will address pressing concerns of journalists, including the need for decent pensions for all categories of media professionals-reporters, sub-editors, proofreaders, photojournalists, and others-along with a nationwide health insurance scheme, r...