Kathmandu, April 3: Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Gokul Prasad Baskota, has said the Radio Nepal and Nepal Television, both State-owned media, will be merged to form the Public Service Broadcasting (PSB), urging employees concerned to be mentally prepared towards that end. In his address to a special ceremony organised on the occasion of the Radio Nepal’s 69th anniversary today, the line minister urged the organisation to be ready for transforming into a research-based broadcasting becoming technically advanced and economically strong as per the people’s aspirations. Physical and legal preparations to constitute the PSB have begun and it will remain as an independent body with the representation of audiences and viewers, as he said. “Probably, the Radio Nepal will not get a chance to celebrate the anniversary this way because by that time, we might have transformed into the PSB,” he said, calling upon employees to get ready for facing possible challenges and opportunities. “There will be a significant administrative change. Both media will see a drastic transformation in their history.” He advised the State -owned media not to fully dependent on the government for economic sustenance. The government’s financial assistance to the organisation is not and should not be like of distribution of social security allowance. The organisation must make efforts to revitalise it. The Radio Nepal is the voice for uniting the people together, he said, adding that all employees of the organisation which reaches every day among the people as a ‘good morning call’ to awake them should work honestly. Foreign cooperation is needed in the development efforts, but dependency will not bring the expected results, so there is no alternative to rendering prescribed duties with honesty, according to him. Radio Nepal’s executive director Suresh Kumar Karki said the organisation was working for better broadcasting technology and producing programmes in 21 different languages. On the occasion, singers Bhakta Raj Acharya and JB Tuhure were awarded the ‘Radio Nepal National Artist Honor’, carrying a purse of Rs 51,000. Winners (Suresh Lama, Benu Chetri and Jeevan Rai) of the nationwide open modern music competition were awarded. Best performing employees, former chairs of the Radio Nepal Board of Directors, former communications secretaries and those employees completing 25 years in service were honoured on the occasion. The Radio Nepal was established in 2007 BS with the establishment of democracy in the country.
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