Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday announced all accredited and yellow card journalists in the state to be included in the list of frontline warriors in the fight against COVID-19. The journalists will now be eligible for all benefits, including priority vaccination against coronavirus. "Journalists have been taking grave risks in covering the pandemic from the ground, and helping spread awareness on it, for the past more than one year. They need to be protected. Though many states had raised the demand for their inclusion in the frontline workers category, the government of India had so far not responded," said Chief Minister.

According to the state government, all Power Corporation employees in the state have also been brought into the ambit of frontline workers. "These employees, along with the journalists, will now be eligible for all benefits, including priority vaccination, that frontline workers are entitled to from the state government," said the Chief Minister at a high-level Covid review meeting.