Kathmandu, 5 July: When the mainstream media has become totally negative towards the government, the government itself has taken initiative to run influential media houses with big venture.
Jana Aastha vernacular weekly reports, during Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s previous tenure as the PM, the TV programme “Prime Minister with the People” aired by the Nepal Television was very popular. Manoj Pandey, nephew of PM’s chief advisor Bishnu Rimal, has been assigned to run this programme from the Nepal Television. This programme is being aired for one hour beginning from 9 pm every Wednesday. Although the programme is being aired at peak hour, the programmer should not pay the additional charge of the peak-hour. The programmer has received the time just paying 50 thousand rupees, whereas, others have to pay 250 thousand rupees for the same. The programme is sponsored by IME, Sunrise Bank, Nepal Life Insurance, Javier College, Hotel Association and Nepal Gas.
The same Pandey is preparing to launch a new Online news portal by running an office near Yak @ Yeti Hotel in Durwar Marg. The plan to launch the Online portal is set for 7 Saun (23 July) coinciding the birth anniversary of late Pushpalal. Even if delayed, the Online portal will be launched by the Dasain festival this year. A documentary production house will also be set at the same office. In the beginning, 60 staffers will be employed and journalists working with other media are being assigned by paying 150 percent more salary than the journalists were receiving from the present job.
The employees have been assured for job guarantee. This project is being launched at the investment of 100 million rupees.
Accordingly, the “chakrapath.com” run by Balkot (PM’s private residence) earlier to Oli’s assignment as the PM, has reduced the flow of news and increased the flow of advertisements. Journalists Gopal Khanal, Subhas Devkota, Ramsharan Bajagain, who were involved in the Online, are working in different organization under the government assignment. Currently, Kabita Adhikari is looking after this Online and after the Revenue Investigation Department went under the PM’s Office, the Online is collecting advertisements from those businessmen who have manipulated tax.
On the other hand, Sonam, elder brother of Aang Chhering Sherpa, who was died in the recent helicopter crash, has purchased <nepalnews.com> pioneer news portal from the Mercantile Group by paying 8 million rupees. Sundar Khanal, who had quit Kantipur and Annapurna Post, is the editor of this news portal. Around 30 journalists are working in this news portal. Sonam has instructed to the working journalists, “No problem in writing corruption news but don’t criticize the government!”
People’s News Monitoring Service
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