KATHMANDU:  Minister for Information and Communications Surendra Kumar Karki has insisted on the need of increasing women's access to information and communication technology (ICT) sector. Speaking at a programme organised on the occasion of 'International Girls in ICT Day- 2017' by Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) in Kathmandu, on Thursday, Minister Karki said that women's participation and access to the entire ICT sector in Nepal was negligible and it needed to be addressed. 'Women's holistic development will be very difficult until their access to intellectual property is guaranteed,' Karki said, urging women community to take self-initiation in this regard. Also speaking on the occasion, National Women Commission acting chairperson Bhagawati Ghimire opined that equal participation of women in every state apparatus was mandatory for the overall development of women. Meanwhile, NTA Chairman Digambar Jha informed the programme that preparations were undergoing for connecting every school, health facility and rural municipality in rural areas with the internet service.