'Focus more on making Gorkhapatra a media house for people'

By TRN Online, Kathmandu, May 7: Government spokesperson and Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, has pointed out the need for further developing the Gorkhapatra daily into a newspaper of the common people.

The government spokesperson also underscored the need for translating the 'smart Gorkhapatra' campaign into action.

Minister Karki made the remarks while addressing a ceremony organised to mark the 122nd anniversary of the publication of the Gorkhapatra daily and the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Gorkhapatra Corporation today.

"Gorkhpatra is not only a newspaper, it is a glorious institution. The paper that was started during the time of autocracy has been a constant witness to both the closed and open society. It has carried different aspects of political, social, economic, and cultural changes in the country," the Communication Minister observed.

Saying that the incumbent government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has been firmly supporting the freedom of the press and expression, government spokesperson Karki stressed that the government was making efforts to make Nepal a model country in South Asia with regard to freedom of expression.

"There is a need to turn the Gorkhapatra into a newspaper of the people as it is understood as the paper of the government alone. There is also the need to focus on making the publication of the Gorkhaptra Corporation more effective in digital platform and thus making them easily accessible to the people," said the Minister.

On the occasion, the Communication Minister also extended best wishes for the greater success of the Gorkhapatra and its publications.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology Dr. Baikutha Aryal remarked that the management and the journalists of the Gorkhapatra Corporation have had a significant role in taking the Gorkhapatra forward along with the age.

The secretary pointed out the need for capacity building of the Gorkhapatra employees and journalists to make the publications more competitive.

"It is the age of information and technology. The Gorkhaptra management and journalists have a great role in making all conscious of this. I urge the management to heed to this need and impart capacity-building training to the employees and the journalists as per the demand of the age," said the secretary.

President of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) Bipul Pokharel highlighted the need for making the Gorkhapatra also a newspaper of the taxpayer.

"The Gorkhaptra should establish the narrative that it is the newspaper of the taxpayers and not only the mouthpiece of the government," said the FNJ president while extending his best wishes.

Anuradha Koirala, a social service stalwart, also pointed out the need for carrying the voices of the people in the Gorkhaptra and its publications.