Concerned agencies and the Federation of Journalists have protested that the Koshi Provincial Mass Communication Institute proposal has introduced strict control provisions in the field of journalism.
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The Justice, Administration and Legislation Committee of the Koshi State Assembly passed the Bill-2081 on the basis of the majority on the basis of the Koshi Province Mass Communication Act.
Concerned bodies and the Federation of Nepalese Journalists have strongly objected to this bill, which was introduced in the name of journalism regulation, as it contains provisions for strict control over journalism. The bill proposes to form a body called Koshi Regional Mass Communication Institute.
It is provided that only formal (ceremonial) authority is given to the president and executive authority is given to the press registrar. As the press registrar is a political appointment of the government, stakeholders have warned that it will become a government-friendly regulatory body.
Federation of Journalists suggested that the president should be given executive powers and the registrar should be made a government employee, but the committee rejected it, said Vivek Gautam, the central vice president of the press center. According to
sources, a secret agreement has been reached between the UML and the Congress on the sharing of office bearers of the foundation. It has been claimed that there has been an agreement that the executive registrar will be on the part of the UML and the ceremonial president will be on the part of the Congress. For this reason, the Congress MPs raised initial objections but finally voted in favor of UML.
The Federation of Nepalese Journalists had suggested including a journalist-friend provision in the bill, but it has been ignored.
Stakeholders are of the opinion that this bill put forward by the Koshi state government may push the journalism sector into a serious crisis.
