Kantipur Media Group Chairman Kailash Sirohia has said that the foundation of an informed society is accurate information, debate and dialogue. Speaking at a program organized in Kathmandu on the first day of the fifth edition of the Kantipur Conclave, he said that along with the daily practice of news and opinion, they are also continuously advancing the platform for debate and dialogue by focusing on issues of national importance.

'The specialty of the Kantipur Conclave is that it brings national, regional and international concerns to a single platform, with Nepal at the center. We believe that there should be an all-sided public debate on issues of common concern,' he said, 'Reaching the fifth edition is the result of continuity, trust, participation and cooperation.'

Saying that Nepal has been struggling with governance instability, institutional weakness, crisis of trust and economic pressure for a long time, Chairman Sirohiya said that along with this, a new awareness has also spread within Nepali society. 'Recent movements, discontent and citizen voices are asking the state and political leadership new questions about where, how and under whose leadership,' he said.

From villages to cities, from the young generation to the elderly, from the streets to the digital platform, although the questions seem loud, the answers to them seem hollow. He said that the aspirations of the citizens cannot be addressed with fluent speeches, loud slogans and attractive assurances. 'Today's need is a calm, fact-based, honest and result-oriented national dialogue. For that purpose, we are determined to make the 'Kantipur Conclave' a meaningful platform,' he said.

He clarified that the Kantipur Conclave is not just a formal conference but a national initiative to take the current uncertainty towards clarity and collective solutions. 'We will have an open debate on politics, good governance, economy, implementation of federalism, the impact of information/algorithms, the changing nature of citizen voice and the regional-international geopolitical environment,' he said.

Chairman Sirohiya said that the two-day dialogue will draw concrete conclusions on how political stability is possible, how to turn good governance from slogans into practice, economy and employment, and how to revive the reality faced by citizens every day. He informed that there will be an in-depth dialogue on how to make federalism a tool for service flow and effectiveness, what is the way to make the digital public platform responsible,  how to restore trust between the state and citizens, between policy and behavior, and between declaration and implementation.

'Kantipur Conclave-2026' has begun in Kathmandu from Monday with the aim of debating the country's roadmap amid political instability, weak institutional structure, and growing public discontent.  The two-day conclave will bring together intellectuals, political, and policy-level figures from within and outside the country to discuss contemporary issues and possibilities.