Kathmandu, May 9

The Federation of Nepali Journalists today drew the attention of the government for failing to address some important issues related to the media sector in its policy and programmes for fiscal year 2016/17, which was announced by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari yesterday in the Legislature Parliament.

Issuing a press statement here today, it said the government, despite begin positive about monitoring the implementation of working journalists act, mass media policy, criteria for journalists’ qualification and classification and specialisation of mass media through determination of criteria, has failed to address some important issues in the policy and programmes.

“Although the government had expressed commitment to include issues such as formation of National Mass Communication Training Academy, health insurance for journalists, operation of conflict-affected journalists’ welfare fund, senior journalists’ honorarium, among others in the policy and programmes, it failed to do so,” reads the statement issued by Ujir Magar, general secretary, FNJ.

It said that FNJ had talked to various ministers time and again and was also made public to include these issues in coordination with FNJ but they were excluded in government’s policy and programmes.

It further said, “The policy and programmes did not even mention granting autonomy to government-run media under Public Service Broadcasting at a time when a committee has already been formed.”

It added, “We are doubtful that the government is serious about our problems in the media sector.”

Thus, Federation of Nepali Journalists has urged Nepal government to include issues such as formation of National Mass Communication Training Academy, provisions for health insurance of journalists, operation of conflict-affected journalists’ welfare fund  for which a directive has already been prepared, making provision for senior journalists’ honorarium, among other, in the policy and programmes and allocate budget for it.