KATHMANDU: Today’s meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) has unanimously endorsed the proposal seeking consideration on the ‘Mass Communications Council Bill, 2081’.

Responding to the queries raised on the bill in the meeting today, Minster for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung said the role of the proposed council would be spectacular for making the works being carried out by the Press Council further effective.

“The bill specifies that the Council will have the role to make the work being done by the press council more effective. Further discussions will be held in the committee on the issues of authorities. The code of conduct and action will also be discussed,” he said, adding that the council has been envisaged as an independent dignified institution.

Minister Gurung said that the views expressed by the lawmakers during the theoretical discussion were acceptable.

Earlier, it was registered as Media Council bill but it was brought as ‘Mass Communications Council Bill’, he said. “The bill was necessary for the implementation of the National Mass Communications Policy-2073 BS”.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire shared that the lawmakers willing to propose amendment can submit their proposals to the Bill Section at Singhadurbar accordingly.

The next meeting of the HoR is scheduled to be held at 1.00 pm on March 5.

Earlier today, lawmakers highlighted the need for establishing a Mass Communications Council as an agency more managed and powerful than the Press Council.

They said that the Mass Communications Council bill is spectacular for propelling journalism as a clean and dignified profession.