State-run media should keep up with provincial structures, insists Minister Sharma

Minister for Communication and Information Technology Rekha Sharma today said that the government media houses should run keeping up with the provincial structure. She said she would take initiatives in running government media including the Rastriya Samachar Samiti from the capital of the respective province itself.

Speaking at an event organised here jointly by organisations for working journalists in the district including the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Dang, she also pledged to keep media in tune with time by amending all media-related laws. “The Motion Picture Act was made in 2026 BS. The Press Council Act was also formulated many years ago. Mass communications is developing at a fast pace. Now, these acts and laws should keep with time by amending old acts and laws,” she said. She also stressed the need for restructuring postal service.

“A post office is found to have hardly delivered around three letters in a span of four months. The number of people using postal services is very low at present,” she said. She sought help of all for the development activities in the country irrespective of whoever wins election. The minister said she had been working to get the construction of the four-lane Ghorahi-Tulasipur highway. An agreement was reached with the contractor to get the contract terminated if the construction did not complete within 15 days of work, she said. According to her, this agreement took place after she organised a discussion with the respective sector in Dang after winning the erstwhile election. Sunil Jung Rayamajhi got the contract to construct the road after Shrestha Company left the project.

“I have heard that Rayamajhi handed over the contract to another contractor without starting the construction work,” she said. The project has been funded by the Export and Import Bank of India (EXIM). The Government of Nepal alone cannot terminate the contract, she said. “The Government of Nepal should ensure budget if it alone wishes to terminate the contract.”RSS