The Cabinet of Bangladesh approved the bill to form the trust on 4 November 2013.[3] The Parliament of Bangladesh passed on 1 July 2014.[4] The Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust was established in 2014 with an initial fund of 50 million taka from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Private media houses donated further funds.[5]
On 4 September 2016, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Media Affairs Adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, handed over checks to 27 journalists from the trust at Chittagong Press Club.[6]
On 12 October 2018, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina allocated 200 million taka for the fund.[7]
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina distributed to sick journalists and families of deceased journalists in a ceremony on 7 November 2019.[8]
On 27 April 2021, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina allocated 100 million taka to the trust to provide support to journalists during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.[9][10]
