Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday (July 10, 2023) asked the media to do constructive criticism for the welfare of the country, not for damaging it. "The criticism should be for the welfare of the country and not for damaging it,"  she said while addressing a function at her office here in the city. In the function, the premier distributed cheques of financial assistance to the families of dead, sick, insolvent and injured journalists. This year some Tk 3.46 crore were given against 438 journalists as financial assistance from Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust (BJWT) Fund. Read more: Fast-evolving tech may pose ‘unprecedented crises’ if journalists aren’t prepared: World Journalists Conference Hasina said the Awami League government has ensured freedom of media in the last 14 years. "None had ever enjoyed so much freedom in the past," she said. The PM asked the media to do criticism as much as required to correct the government but not to hamper the ongoing progress of the country. "We don't want that the progress of Bangladesh ti be hampered," she said. She said the media will have to have the sense of responsibility and dutifulness towards the country and the nation while they enjoy freedom. The BJWT fund was formed in 2014 with the seed money of Tk 25 crore provided by the prime minister on two occasions. Read more: Assault on on-duty journalists an unpardonable crime: GM Quader So far some Tk 40 crore was distributed among 13,510 journalists from the fund. Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud presided over the function, while Information Secretary Humayun Kabir Khandaker spoke on the occasion.  The Prime Minister said her government allowed private sector to run television channels when she came  to power in 1996 and then gave licenses of many television channels to generate employment. She said her government is going to bring the private television channels under a wage board. She called upon the media owners to donate money to the Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust. Sheikh Hasina said her government can take arrangements so that the journalists can buy lands or flats making payment in installments. She said they have taken housing projects to bring landless people under the scheme free of costs following the footsteps of the Father of the Nation. Taking a swipe at critics of quick rental power plants, she said how could Bangladesh witness so much development unless Tk 90,000 crore was not given to the quick rental power plants. The BJWT fund was formed in 2014 with the seed money of Tk 25 crore provided by the prime minister on two occasions. So far some Tk 40 crore was distributed among 13,510 journalists from the fund. Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud presided over the function, while Information Secretary Humayun Kabir Khandaker spoke on the occasion.