Media Council Bill is to further streamline mass media: Minister Karki

Kathmandu, Sept 2: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Gyanendra Bahadur Karki said that the Nepal Media Council Bill-2076 BS was introduced to further streamline mass media in the country.

He said so while seeking deliberation on the Bill in the House of Representatives meeting today. Minister Karki, also the Spokesperson of the government, had presented the proposal with a message from the National Assembly in the meeting.    

The proposal was unanimously approved by the meeting today itself. Clause-wise deliberation on the Bill was already conducted in the National Assembly earlier.    
Minister Karki while taking part in the deliberation today, said that the Bill was presented in the parliament to make mass media clean, transparent, professional, organized and responsible.    
Furthermore, he said that the government introduced the Bill that seeks to aid in the development and promotion of journalism as well as to encourage adherence to a code of conduct.    
Karki argued that although there was Press Council Nepal to regulate the journalism sector, its jurisdiction was limited and it would not incorporate all sectors of journalism. The Bill was, the Minister informed, taken forward against this backdrop.    
"The Nepal Mass Media Bill-2076 BS was formulated to further manage mass media. There is a trend worldwide to streamline mass media," he explained.    
Once the Bill would come into effect, he believed that the practice of responsible journalism would be further promoted and an automatic monitoring system would be put in place to address the differing views related to mass media as well as to address the complaints. (RSS)