Gorkhapatra voice of nation: Minister Sharma

By Our Correspondents,Nepalgunj/Tulsipur, Feb. 15: Minister for Communication and Information Technology Rekha Sharma has said that the ministry will  leave no stone unturned to develop and empower state-owned media organisations. She also called Gorkhapatra the need and desire of the Nepali people.

Inspecting the western regional office of the Gorkhapatra Corporation at Kohalpur, Banke on Tuesday, Minister Sharma said that since Gorkhapatra was the voice of the nation, it needed to reach all parts of the nation too.

Stating that the paper needed to compete with the private sector to establish itself in the market, she urged everyone to contribute from their fields to make this happen. 

She instructed the Gorkhapatra management to utilise the structures and resources of the Corporation’s office established in Kohalpur to expand its reach all over western Nepal. She also asked them to focus on reaching as many readers as possible.

On the occasion, Executive Chairman of Gorkhapatra Corporation Bishnu Subedi said that the management was actively working to strengthen the Corporation.  Likewise, General Manager Lal Bahadur Airi apprised the Minister of the Corporation’s latest condition.

Meanwhile, in Tulsipur, Dang, Minister Sharma asked Radio Nepal to improve its services and keep pace with the times. 

Inspecting the building the state broadcaster is constructing for its Lumbini provincial broadcasting station at a cost of Rs. 21 million on the same day, Minister Sharma also instructed Radio Nepal to expand its coverage area. It currently covers 91 per cent of Nepal’s total area.

She said that the radio had played an important role in the country’s history but now needed to connect that role with technology.

Sharma also urged Radio Nepal to utilise its many assets productively and advised it to produce programmes for the conservation of the many languages spoken in Nepal. 

She further directed Radio Nepal management to prepare the technical report for the under-construction building again to speed up building work. 

Radio Nepal’s Executive Director Buddhi Bahadur KC shared that the Lumbini broadcasting service currently produced news and programmes in Magar Kham, Western Tharu and Awadhi languages. He said that they would increase the number of languages they broadcast in after the completion of the station building in Tulsipur, Dang. 

Likewise, at a science festival organised by the Himalayan Science Foundation at the Nepalgunj Stadium, Minister Sharma emphasised that the development and expansion of technology were crucial for economic prosperity and development.

She believed that the country would not move forward until it adopted science and technology and said that the government would leave no stone unturned for the development and utilisation of technological advancements.

On the occasion, former Deputy Speaker Purna Kumari Subedi underscored the need to link agriculture and employment with technology.