Govt has no intention of curtailing press freedom: Banskota

Kathmandu / July 5: Spokesperson of the government and Minister for Information and Communications Gokul Banskota on Friday said that the government has no intention of curtailing the press freedom.

Responding to queries raised by the lawmakers at the National Assembly, the minister said that the government is not mulling on curtailing freedom of expression and press freedom.

However, he vowed to control all those activities carried out in spreading rumors in the name of freedom of expression and press freedom. “The media fraternity has been disseminating unfounded news in the name of press freedom. I think the media fraternity has been fully enjoying the press freedom without any hindrances,” he said.

He said that the media are being run without any obstacles. “There are no such restrictions on media in Nepal. So, there is no issue in this regard. Media are totally independent. They have been doing whatever they like even if the reported issues are not verified,” he said ironically.

Minister Banskota said that the government will stop providing the public welfare advertisement to media after it introduces the proportionate advertisement policy.

The minister also said that the proposed Media Council Bill can be revised after holding consultations with stakeholders.