Biratnagar: Former President Bidya Devi Bhandari has acknowledged the crucial role of media in strengthening the democratic system. Addressing the 21st anniversary of the Udghosh Dainik, a daily newspaper published from Biratnagar, former President Bhandari asserted that the local media had been reinforcing the democratic practices and thus opined that protection and empowerment of such media was a shared responsibility.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the former Head of the State suggested that the media should bring the problems, livelihood, and challenges faced by marginalized communities to the fore, besides taking a leading role in strengthening linguistic and cultural diversity. “When the pen is used in favor of truth, fairness, and the people, society becomes aware, responsible, and progressive. Hence, we should leverage the available resources to boost domestic production, provide quality education, and employment to youths within the country to stop the exodus of youths to foreign shores,” argued Bhandari.
Also, speaking on the occasion, Koshi Province’s Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki, who is leading the coalition government formed with support from Nepali Congress, reminded that the collaboration between these two parties had significantly contributed to both the establishment and protection of democracy. According to him, the collaboration not only ensured political stability but also delivered a remarkable 83 percent increase in the export in the last fiscal year.
He proudly shared that the partnership between the two biggest parties in the federal parliament had led to an increase of Rs 120 billion in revenue in the last fiscal year, thereby further revitalizing the national economy. The Chief Minister also insisted that the media should neither back off from criticizing the wrongdoings nor lag behind in appreciating the good initiatives of the government. The criticism, he said, should be based on facts and evidence.
Likewise, Nagesh Koirala, Mayor of Biratnagar Metropolitan City, and Bhim Parajuli, Province Assembly member, univocally claimed that development has gained momentum in the country since the establishment of the federal democratic republican system. Udghosh Dainik’s Chief Editor Mohan Bhandari and other speakers emphasized that everyone should contribute from their respective fields to further consolidate the federal democratic republican system.
On the occasion, former President Bhandari honored media professionals, including Baburam Bhandari and Maniram Dahal, among others, in recognition of their contribution to the media sector.