- Wednesday, 22 April 2026
Nepal, Lumbini, April 22: At a time when the private media, especially the small ones, have been facing financial crisis and got beleaguered recently after federal government’s decision to avoid private media for government advertisements, Chief Minister of Lumbini Province, Chet Narayan Acharya, has vowed enforcement of province government’s budget relating to media sector as per its own plan.
He made it clear that federal government’s circular to province government on advertisement policy would not force province government to stop implementing its annual budget on media.
CM Acharya further said the province government would act as per its own media policy, programmes and priorities set earlier. Related bodies were already directed to put into practice the approved annual programmes and budget, according to him. Acharya said it during a meeting with Lumbini chapter of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) on Wednesday.
Media has a vital role in reinforcing democracy, he said, adding that media had played a leading role against autocratic rule. Lumbini Province government had prioritized media sector while formulating its budget, he shared.
During the discussion FNJ Lumbini Province chapter chair Shukra Rishi Chaulagain demanded the federal government to immediately withdraw the circular it issued to subnational governments on allowing advertisement to private media.
Submitting a memorandum to CM Acharya, Chaulagain argued that the circular was against constitution, law, and spirit of press freedom and international norms. There are some 1,200 journalists associated with 12 district units under provincial chapter of FNJ in Lumbini.
The federal government led by Prime Minister Balendra Sah had issued a directive to all concerned authorities to not provide government advertisements to private media, reasoning that the advertisement fund was misused grossly. —
