A veteran journalist suffering from Parkinson’s disease broke down emotionally after finally receiving a pension order from the Tamil Nadu government, following years of approaching officials and others for financial assistance.
M. Narasimhan, who worked for News Today and Makkal Kural, was among 23 journalists who received orders for a monthly pension of ₹15,000 at a welfare event held at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai on 8 October 2026. Minister Rajmohan, who holds the portfolios of School Education, Tamil Development, Information and Publicity, distributed the pension orders on behalf of the Department of Information and Public Relations. Three other journalists received welfare assistance cheques totalling ₹5.90 lakh.
Narasimhan’s wife, who interpreted his words as he struggled to communicate, described the family’s long battle to secure the pension and thanked the government for the assistance.
“I am M. Narasimhan’s wife. My husband has been working for 40 years as a journalist; he was in this job even before we got married, in a daily newspaper — News Today and Makkal Kural. His hard work is the reason why the newspaper is still going strong today,” she said.
She explained that Narasimhan had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for the past five years and had become unable to write, speak or walk independently.
“He did not expect that he would be receiving the pension today. Only yesterday evening, we received the intimation,” she said.
The family had spent years approaching different people and knocking on numerous doors in the hope of securing the pension, but their efforts had not yielded results.
“For the past six years, he has been knocking on so many doors and meeting several people, but nothing worked out. He can’t even walk, and yet we went from door to door about the pension,” she said.
Expressing gratitude, she added that the family had never expected the assistance to come through so soon.
“We did not expect this at all — that in five months, Joseph Vijay will give us a pension like this,” she said, thanking the government led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay.
Watching elderly, retired journalists break down in tears of gratitude is truly moving. Pension is not mere financial assistance it is dignity, security, and the reassurance that their years of service have not been forgotten.
Heartfelt appreciation to our Hon’ble HCM Thalapathy Vijay @CMOTamilnadu and Hon Minister Rajmohan for this initiative. ❤️
A government’s true success lies in the lives it touches & the TVK government has been super keen.
@imrajmohan ♥️♥️♥️♥️
— Varsha (@VarshaDRaman) October 11, 2026
Another emotional moment came when Mariappan, a journalist associated with Dr Namadhu MGR from Tenkasi, became emotional upon receiving his pension order.
Tears of relief because a lifetime of sacrifice is finally being acknowledged ♥️
TVK’s governance is built on compassion & gratitude and it shows.
@imrajmohan more power to you Anna 🔥♥️ https://t.co/AghoIMmIad
— Varsha (@VarshaDRaman) October 11, 2026
MK Stalin Had Announced The Pension Hike In March
The enhanced pension distributed at the October event follows an announcement made by former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on March 13, 2026.
After representatives of journalists’ associations met him at the Secretariat and sought improvements to journalists’ welfare measures, Stalin ordered an increase in the monthly pension for retired journalists from ₹12,000 to ₹15,000. The family pension for surviving spouses or dependants was raised from ₹6,000 to ₹7,500 per month.
Stalin also directed officials to extend medical insurance under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme to journalists holding accreditation cards. He instructed officials to take steps to provide housing plots in Chengalpattu district for Chennai journalists, in response to their housing demands.
The October 8 distribution of pension orders under the Vijay government thus followed the earlier pension revision announced under Stalin.
Who Is Eligible For The Pension?
Under Tamil Nadu’s journalists’ pension scheme, applicants generally must be at least 58 years old and have at least 20 years of documented service. A reduced minimum service requirement of 10 years applies to media professionals who are terminally ill or physically disabled.
For Narasimhan’s family, the pension brings financial support after years of uncertainty while caring for a husband whose illness has severely affected his ability to communicate and move independently.
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