Karnali, June 7 – The Karnali Province Committee of the Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (ACORAB) Nepal has drawn the attention of Karnali Province Chief Minister Mahendra Bahadur Shahi. The committee handed over a 11-mpoint memorandum drawing attention of Chief Minister Shahi on Sunday for the capacity building of community radios and institutional development of ACORAB.

Receiving the memorandum, CM Shahi said he took the issue seriously and also pledged to address the issues accordingly. “I am aware of the community radio being the most reliable and first source of information in the context of Karnali. The government is ready to provide support to the community radio sector to grow”. ACORAB province secretary Deependra Oli shared that they have demanded a new legal arrangement from Karnali province on broadcasting to align with the letter and spirit of mass communications policy.

The federal, province and local levels have been entrusted with the authority to look after the registration licensing and regulation of FM radios. Oli said that they have strongly protested the province and local governments opting to operate FM radio on their own against the international assumptions on democratizing media.

Among other demands include formulating proportional advertisement policy, assurance of the representation from ACORAB province committee in the Mass Media Training Academy, and support for the infrastructure development and equipment procurement of radio in trouble as well as imparting training and awareness raising programme.(RSS)