Kathmandu, April 6: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma has said that internal management should be strengthened to make the ‘Gorakhapatra’ competitive and reliable.
In a programme organized here today on the occasion of the 124th year of publication of Gorakhapatra and the 63rd anniversary of the newspaper publishing house, Minister Sharma opined for making the internal management strong in terms of financial and manpower management.
Minister Sharma said, “We have to think in a new way to make the Gorakhapatra a vibrant, competitive and leading newspaper.” She said that Gorakhapatra, which is the ‘mother’ of Nepali journalism, has a proud history, historical role and legacy as well.
“The role of Gorakhapatra is significant in the preservation and promotion of key evidences of different periods, collection of historical materials and Nepali language and literature on different perspective,” the Minister said, adding that Gorakhapatra’s contribution to Nepal’s political, economic and social transformation through journalism has been unforgettable.
Mentioning that the recent development of information and communication has expanded it to a wider range in terms of genre and technology. She said that Gorkhapatra should be able to increase its readership through the increasing access to information and ease of use among the general public.
Emphasizing that the Gorakhapatra must work as a bridge between the government and the people in addition to conveying the official news of the government, Minister Sharma said that the government media should make a programme to convey the good works of the government to the people and convey the people’s complaints and expectations to the government.
Similarly, President of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Bipul Pokharel expressed his satisfaction that news with a critical tone has started to be published in Gorakhapatra and said that such issues should be given more priority. Emphasizing that the government and management should pay attention to ensure that Gorakhapatra does not become the mouthpiece of the government, he said that an environment in which editorial freedom can be exercised to the highest degree should be ensured.
Executive Chairman of Gorakhapatra Corporation, Bishnu Subedi said that Gorakhapatra is a witness in the history of political change and social transformation. Lal Bahadur Airi, general manager of Gorakhapatra, said that Gorakhapatra is active in giving not only information but also ‘truthful and reliable information’.
On this occasion, Minister Sharma presented the ‘Ramchandra-Indu Gautam Journalism Award-2080’ established by the Gorakhapatra Corporation Associate to senior journalist Nirmala Sharma. The prize amount is Rs 50,000.
In the programme, outstanding employees of Gorakhapatra Institute Rajesh Chamling Rai, Jujukaji Ranjit and Sangeeta Khadka, outstanding journalists Saroj Dhungel, Nayak Paudel and Manoj Ratna Shahi, who completed 25 years of service were awarded with long service medals.
