Kathmandu, February 21

Minister for Information and Communications Surendra Kumar Karki has stressed on the need for equipping the Department of Information with advanced communications technology.

Speaking at a programme to review the department’s annual performance in the last fiscal and unveil the Annual Report 2073 BS, Minister Karki said that the department should be made technology-friendly for the effective management of information, archiving of newspapers, and distribution of journalists’ identity cards.

Stating that the government was committed to decentralising the department’s activities to rural levels and ensuring people’s right to information, Minister Karki also informed that works were underway to develop the department as an information hub.

He said that the ministry was preparing to devolve the registration of radio stations, frequency distribution, and the renewal of registration of radio stations to the respective District Post Office.

Secretary at the ministry Mahendraman Gurung reiterated that efforts were on to develop the department as an information hub as per the government plan.

The department’s Director General Bir Bahadur Rai said they were working to make the services offered by the department effective and well-managed.

Similarly, President of the Federation of Nepali Journalists Dr Mahendra Bista called for making the service of the department technology friendly and integrated.

The department is working to collect, process, disseminate, and computerise information dispersed in different government agencies.

According to the annual report of the department, 7,369 newspapers have been registered by the fiscal year 2072/73 BS. Among them, 676 are daily newspapers, 2,802 are weekly newspapers, and 2,214 are monthly.

The department has recommended the permanent registration of 100 newspapers, and temporary registration of 493 newspapers in the fiscal year 2072/73 BS.