Information Ministry's quarterly progress

  

Kathmandu, Jan 1: Ministry of Information and Communications has achieved 40 per cent progress in physical and 48 per cent in financial sectors during the first quarter of the current fiscal year.   

 At the ministerial-level Development Problem Resolution Committee meeting of the ministry held Thursday, the Ministry said that the Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS), one among the 13 bodies under the Ministry, achieved cent percent progress in both physical and financial sectors.

Ministry's Policy and Monitoring Evaluation Department Chief Under-Secretary Bharat Dhungana presented the report at the meeting stating that RSS achieved cent percent progress compared to National Information Commission (NIC), Radio Broadcasting Service Development Committee, Gorkhapatra Corporation, Nepal Television, Press Council Nepal, Department of Information and Nepal Telecom.

Dhungana said the Ministry collected Rs 5.7 billion plus in revenue during the review period.

At the meeting, Information Minister Dr Minendra Rijal urged the line agencies of the Ministry to offer suggestions to give the Communication Policy and Film Policy draft a final shape.

Likewise, Dr Rijal said the works were underway for appointing commissioners at NIC, bring the Frequency Policy and transform the regulations in connection to the communication sector.

On a different note, Minister Rijal said, "It is the duty of all to protect and preserve the physical infrastructure, roads and gardens of the Kathmandu valley constructed during the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)."

Likewise, National Planning Commission member Prem Dangal said the bodies under the Ministry must be professional and competitive and called for new programmes.

Information Secretary Sunil Bahadur Malla underscored the necessity for the Ministry and its bodies to implement the new development in information and technology. He said the fund collected in the Rural Telecommunication Trust must be used in the development and expansion of telecommunication service.

On the occasion, RSS General Manager Shreeramsingh Basnet underlined the surging trend of unauthorized use of the RSS news and said the Press Council Nepal was urged to control such use.

Similarly, Press Council Nepal Chairman Borna Bahadur Karki said the new customers of the RSS using the news illegally were being taken action by classifying them and stressed the problem seen in monitoring the use of code of conduct in electronic media.

Also speaking at the programme, Nepal Television General Manager Laxman Humagain urged the Ministry to focus on digital frequency distribution and analogue.

Gorkhapatra Corporation General Manager Sushil Koirala said the due amount owing to lack of timely payment of the government advertisements published in the Gorkhapatra daily reached Rs 170 million.

On the occasion, Director General at the Information Department Laxmi Prasad Koirala highlighted the problems seen in implementing Conflict Victim Journalist Relief Programme. RSS