Enhance regional friendship through media professionals: Minister Gurung

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Nov. 25: Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, has stressed strengthening regional friendship in South Asia through media professionals and journalists. 

Speaking at the first Saarc Journalist Award 2024 organised by SAARC Journalist Association in Kathmandu on Sunday, he said that the collaboration among stakeholders, journalism professionals and industries of the SAARC countries will strengthen the foundation of friendship among the people in the region.

Minister Gurung expressed his hopes that the Association will fulfill its objectives to promote journalists, reporters based in SAARC countries and support in enhancing the professional expertise and skills. 

"The Association must focus on additional roles to establish awards, encourage research and development in various fields of profession, co-operate, collaborate and maintain constructive relation with the stakeholders in the society," he said. 

He also urged the media professionals, including journalists, to contribute to foster a feeling of fellowship and promote goodwill among journalists through various conferences, seminars and workshops. 

Dr. Natraj Ray, President of the Association, informed that the organisation will soon be registered at SAARC Secretariat and in the member countries. "We aim to create a broader regional network of journalists in SAARC. It will be developed as a platform to share ideas and learning, and put joint collaborations in skill enhancement," he said and added that within a year, the Association will be expanded to all eight countries. 

The Association aims to create a vision for media so that it could contribute to the achievement of the regional development goals. 

It also aims to contribute to journalism education in the South Asian region. 

Chairman of the Press Council of Nepal, Balkrishna Basnet, said that there is a need to create a common platform to find solutions to the common challenges of media in the region. 

"This region has a gap of media coordinating body. Meanwhile, we 

are also facing growing challenges in managing and regulating social media," he said. 

On the occasion, Saarc Journalist Association's Nepal Chapter was formed under the leadership of Samjhana Sharma of HRM magazine. Kuvera Chalise of Nepalkhabar is appointed the General Secretary of the organisation and TRN journalist Modnath Dhakal is named as the Secretary. 

Likewise, Sharmila Thakuri of Arthatoday is appointed as Treasurer while Pushpa Raj Acharya of HRM, Anurag Singh Verma of Business 360 and Dambar Prasad Acharya of Ktmvoice are on board as the members of the committee.