Kavre, May 5

Minister of Information and Communications Gokul Prasad Baskota today said the government was preparing to regulate non-governmental organisations and their activities in the country.

He accused some NGOs of carrying out activities that threatened Nepal’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Addressing Kavre district conference of NGO Federation of Nepal in Dhulikhel, Minister Baskota charged that some NGOs had been working against Nepal’s sovereignty and the government would take action against them. “We heartily welcome foreign aid, but no one can carry out activities that jeopardise the nation’s sovereignty and integrity,” he added.

Transparency is the demand of the day. Every NGO has to keep records of the budget received under various titles, he said.

Baskota argued that the government would not keep all the NGOs in the same basket. “The government will consult NGOs while formulating laws and regulations,” Baskota said. He said even organisations such as Red Cross were mired in corruption, which had compelled the government to strictly regulate NGOs’ activities.

Baskota also stressed the need to regulate social networking sites. “Democracy might lead to anarchy.

Thus, there is need to regulate social networking sites as well,” he noted. He urged the opposition parties to join hands with the government for development and prosperity of the nation.

Minister Baskota claimed that public land in Baluwatar was first transferred to an individual’s name during late Nepali Congress leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai’s premiership, therefore the opposition party had no moral ground to question the government.