Govt pledges to implement Working Journalists Act

 Kathmandu, May 19

The government has pledged to fully implement the Working Journalists Act, and make arrangements to include journalists and employees in the mass communication sector within the coverage of social security schemes.

In its policy and programmes for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2023/24 unveiled on Friday, the government said that it would work to enhance the capacity of working journalists and conflict-affected journalists in remote areas and encourage investigative journalism.

The communication industry is said to be developed as a knowledge-based service industry. Radio Nepal and Nepal Television will be merged to start an integrated broadcasting service within this fiscal year by establishing a Public Broadcasting Agency, read the document.

"Press Council Nepal will be converted into a Media Council with new legal provisions to enable it in regulating the content published and broadcast through all media. An umbrella law on mass communication will be enacted," said the policy and programmes.

Likewise, policy, legal and structural reforms would be implemented to promote freedom of press and expression and to develop dignified journalism.

The government has reiterated to implement proportional advertisement system.

It has also expressed intentions to regulate advertisements or other transactions through the internet and bring them under the tax system.

Similarly, a journalists’ welfare fund would be established to honour senior journalists, provide relief to conflict-affected journalists, implement health and accident insurance to journalists, and promote women journalists, community journalism, and journalism in different languages. 

Published in Friday Supplement of The Rising Nepal Daily on 20 May 2023.