Media Council Bill tabled in NA meeting

Kathmandu: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma on Sunday tabled the Media Council Bill in the National Assembly (NA) meeting.

Tabling the Bill at the NA, Minister Sharma said the Bill was required for the development and promotion of fair, independent and accountable journalism through self-regulation to maintain professionalism.

Minister Sharma stated that the draft of the new law was needed for the establishment and operation of the Media Council as an autonomous and regulatory body. She said that the Media Council needed to develop as a strong and contextual autonomous and regulatory body to hear the complaints on violations of the journalistic code of conduct through the transformation of the Press Council Nepal.

The Media Council is also expected to regulate the online media. At the meeting, NA Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal informed the NA meeting that no protest note was received from the NA members on the Media Council Bill, 2080.