KATHMANDU: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Parbat Gurung has urged the mass media in the country to contribute creatively for the prosperity of the country rather than criticizing.
At an interaction program organized by the Federation of Nepali Journalists, he said, “The Federation of Nepali Journalists should raise the issues surfacing in the journalism sector which has rendered jobless lately. Journalism sector has to review its agenda and embrace changes if need be.”
Stating that the government was ready to address the genuine demands of the journalists, Minister Gurung shared that the government was mulling making the postal service in the country global and more competitive.
He also shared about the government’s initiatives to honour the senior journalists in the country, to set up journalist welfare fund, to initiate accidents and health insurance and to establish mass media training academy among others.
Secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Hari Prasad Basyal shared that the government was effortful to implement advertisement issued in the public interest and it would be provided to the media houses proportionately.
On the occasion, FNJ submitted a memorandum to the Minister demanding ensuring freedom of speech and implementation of laws relating to the communications, presenting mid-term and long term plans for addressing the issues facing the media persons and media houses working in the forefront during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic among others.
The umbrella organization of the journalists in the country also demanded to put in place necessary mechanism that would curb the lay-off of journalists, forcing them to stay on unpaid leave, salary cuts and irregular salary pays among others.
Demand was also made in the memo to provide facilities to those journalists hit hard by COVID-19 as mentioned in the Working Journalists Act-1993 and related regulations.
FNJ President Govinda Acharya spoke of the need to set up journalist welfare fund at the earliest by allocating 10 percent of the advertisement issued in the public interest. Press Council Nepal’s Acting Chairperson, Gopal Budhathoki shared that the Council had embraced a new working culture and style to make the service in the Council more effective.
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