Kathmandu, Mar. 3: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for information and Communications Ram Chandra Poudel has said the present government is committed to the promotion of journalism.
Mr Poudel, while receiving a report prepared by the Journalism Sector Study and Recommendation Task Force today, noted that his majesty’s government will make every effort to resolve the problems of the fourth estate engaged in ensuring good governance in the country.
Stating that the government will seriously study the report and try to implement it, he disclosed that the government has prepared a manual for employees to remove irregularities and red tapism in offices that are directly linked with the people.
Media advisor at the ministry of information and communications and convenor of the task force purushottam Dahal, presenting the report, expressed confidence that the present government which is well aware with the norms and values of democracy and press will implement the report.
In course of preparing the report extensive discussions were held with various organisations associated with journalism and efforts were made to involve all as far as possible, he added.
The task force studied the national communications policy-2049 b.S, advertisement policy, problems of working journalists and journalists outside Kathmandu valley, constraints facing literary journalism, laws pertaining to right to information and the flow of information, etc and recommended suggestions.
His majesty’s government should make available government notices and public service advertisements to the private newspapers in view of their circulation, quality and the categorisation made by the audit bureau of circulation, it is stated in the report.
Similarly, the report also states that all newspapers meeting the criteria of the Audit Bureau of Circulation should be provided with notices and welfare advertisements in a proportionate manner and its quantity should be fixed on the recommendations of the Department of information.
Transport facility should be provided to journalists outside Kathmandu valley, five seats provided free of cost to journalists at central hospitals, three seats each at regional and zonal hospitals and two seats at the district hospitals, the royal Nepal Airlines Corporation should provide air fare to journalists whose treatment is not possible at home and safety of journalists should be guaranteed.
The report also points out the need of drafting the bill on right to information and present it to the Parliament.
His majesty’s government had constituted the nine-member task force under the convenorship of Mr. Dahal.
The members of the task force are chairman of the Nepal press council harihar birahi, president of the federation of Nepalese journalists suresh acharya, editor of the three-monthly literary magasine unnanayan achyut raman Adhikari, chairman of Nepal press union kulchandra wagle, editor/publisher of dristi weekly shambhu Shrestha, joint secretary at the ministry of information and communications hemraj poudel and FNJ mid-western region vice president hemanta karmacharya.
Director general of the Information Department yubaraj pandey is member-secretary of the task force.