Kathmandu, September 4

The Ministry of Information and Communications today formed a Directive Committee and monitoring sub-committees to ensure implementation of minimum salary structure determined for journalists and employees of media houses.

The seven-member Directive Committee is headed by chairperson of Minimum Wages Fixation Committee under the MoIC and includes president of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, joint secretary (communications division) at the MoIC, director general at the Department of Information, chairperson of Media Society Nepal, chairperson of Broadcasting Association of Nepal and chairperson of Association of Community Radio Broadcasters Nepal.

Similarly, five-member Print Media Monitoring Sub-Committee, five-member Television Broadcasters Monitoring Sub-Committee and six-member Radio (FM) Monitoring Sub-Committee have been constituted, read a press release issued by the MoIC.

The Cabinet on May 5 had approved the MWFC recommendations to bring them into effect from July 16. As per the revised minimum salary structure, journalists associated with media houses (‘A’ Class newspapers, all television stations, FM radios with capacity of above 500 watt, all government-owned media, radio networks and FMs with more than one station where the Working Journalists Act, 1993 is effective, are entitled to a minimum monthly salary of Rs 19,500.

Similarly, Rs 14,000 has been fixed as minimum monthly salary for employees of such media houses. The existing minimum monthly salary of journalists and employees/workers associated with national-level media is Rs 10,008 and Rs 7,367 respectively.