FNJ draws govt attention on policy and programme

Kathmandu, May 9: The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) has drawn the attention of the government towards the government’s policy and programme announced by the President in the Legislature-Parliament on Sunday, saying it failed to incorporate some important issues related to the media sector.

A press release issued by the FNJ general secretary Ujir Magar states that the government’s policy and programme for fiscal year 2016/017 failed to include some significant issues of the media sector, although it included issues as monitoring the implementation of the Working Journalists Act, implementation of the Media Policy, determination and categorization of the journalist’s qualification and the setting the standard of the media.

The FNJ stated that although the government had expressed its commitment to include topics like formation of the National Mass Communication Training Academy, health insurance to journalists, operation of the conflict-affected journalists welfare fund, senior journalists honourarium, among others, these were not incorporated in the government’s policy and porogramme.

“The policy and programme not mentioning anything about granting autonomy to the government-run media and keeping them under the Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) when even a committee has been formed for that purpose, has raised doubts whether the government was irresponsible towards the problems in the media sector,” the press release states.

FNJ has urged the government to institute the National Mass Communication Training Academy, make provisions for the health insurance of journalists, operationalize the conflict-affected journalists’ welfare fund for which a guideline has also been prepared and make provision for the senior journalists’ honorarium, among other topics and also make budgetary allocation in the coming budget.