Journos run for health cover

By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad, Feb. 9: Journalists landed in hordes at the MRO offices of the city on Sunday. They were not after any ‘breaking news’ but were throngingto get the medical insurance cards sponsored by thestate government under Arogyasri.In all, eight centres were provided exclusively for journalists working in the capital and each office had two staffers to do the necessary work.However, the officials were a bit taken aback to see the hundreds of mediapersons and their families pouring in from early morning.The ‘hardboiled’ journalists who are more prone to the health problems because of their lifestyle were the first ones to arrive. They see the Rs 2 lakh insurance scheme as a great blessing.By 10 am, the premises of all the centres were filled with mediapersons and their families. Many also brought along their elderly parents with them.After a while, many journalists, who are used to being given special treatment at government offices, started grumbling at being forced to stand in queue. At the Anandanagar MRO office, there was a wordy duel between mediapersons and officials.“My wife asked me if it is necessary for a political reporter too to stand in a queue,” said a senior journalist. “I had no answer for that.”Some flustered journalists also took out their cellphones to call up their top level contacts in the civil supplies department to see if they can jump the queue and get special treatment.“Except for the Chief Minister, all other VIPs have been contacted to get a favour,” joked one of them.There were around 300 persons in each of the centres and at least 600 in some centres.Journalists are usually lone wolves and the occasion also provided an opportunity for their family members to meet.Some reporters were seen taking a dig at their cousins in other media organisations who were in a hurry to take the insurance card after writing hard-hitting articles against the Arogyasri scheme.