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Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal held separate meetings with Nagarik Unmukti Party patron Resham Chaudhary and Chairperson Ranjita Shrestha on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Dahal held talks with them at a time when there was a dispute between Chaudhary and Shrestha over whether to join the government or not.

According to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, the Prime Minister held a meeting with Shrestha at Baluwatar and with Chaudhary at the Prime Minister’s Office in Singha Durbar.

Prime Minister Dahal held discussions on the issues of the Sudurpaschim and Lumbini government.

A source said that the Prime Minister sought help from both of them for the formation of province government.

Though the Nagarik Unmukti Party has been supporting Prime Minister Dahal in the center, it has been throwing weight behind the Nepali Congress in the Sudurpaschim and Lumbini Province.

There are five ministers of Nagarik Unmukti Party in Sudurpaschim and the party is also participating in the Lumbini.

Chaudhary said that Prime Minister Dahal proposed a Chief Minister in the Sudurpaschim.

In reply, Chaudhary said that he would move ahead as per the decision of the party meeting to be held on April 5 and 6.

Lawmakers have demanded the prompt resumption of Nepal-China transit points closed with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Airing views in the 'zero hour' of the House of Representatives (HoR) meeting today, NC lawmaker Dilendra Prasad Badu expressed satisfaction over the reports that during Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha's recent visit to China, the two sides exchanged views on reopening the transit points along the Nepal-China border including Tinker in Darchula.

He said during the Prime Minister's China visit in the past, it was reported that the transit points would be resumed but this has not happened so far. "The Foreign Minister should clarify it," he asserted.

Thakur Prasad Gaire of CPN-UML urged the government to conserve Palpa's historic Rani Mahal (Palace) while Tara Lama Tamang demanded grants to sugarcane farmers.

Pradip Paudel of Nepali Congress drew the government's attention towards the issue of the server down in Tribhuvan International Airport. It was Badri Pandey from the same party who expressed his concerns over problems being faced by Bajura people in the aftermath of a landslide and a delay in constructing a bridge in Martadi. 

Devendra Poudel of CPN (Maoist Center) urged the government to establish the administration office at Galkot of Baglung to provide government services near to the locality of people who face challenges to visit the district headquarters to acquire administrative services.

Dhawal Shumsher JB Rana, Basudev Ghimire, Bindhyabasini Kansakar, Tejulal Chaudhary, Damodar Poudel Bairagi, Durga Rai, Pradip Yadav, Prabhu Hajara, Binita Kathayat, Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan, Nagina Yadav, Nirmala Koirala, Narayan Prasad Acharya, Nisha Dangi, Purna Bahadur Gharti Magar, Pratima Gautam, Pratiksha Mukhiya, Dikpal Kumari Shahi, Deepak Giri, Deepa Sharma and Dr Toshima Karki raised contemporary issues.

Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma, has said the government is committed to promoting professional journalism and ensuring the constitutional right to a free press.

She stressed the need for media content that institutionalize political accomplishments while discouraging unwanted and anarchic tendencies in society.

Addressing the 74th anniversary celebrations of Radio Nepal today, the Government Spokesperson said this.

She shared on the occasion that the content of Radio Nepal should embody the core principles of the federal democratic republic, which were achieved through the sacrifices of Nepali citizens.  Radio Nepal should further ensure its accessibility to the nooks and corners of the nation as a credible, reliable, impartial, independent, and effective means of communication.

Minister Sharma said she is happy to know that the service of Radio Nepal is available to 93 percent of the population of the nation, urging it to make further efforts to reach 100 percent coverage. She also advised Radio Nepal to prioritize extending broadcast hours for provincial transmission services as per the spirit of the Constitution.

Highlighting Radio Nepal's diversity in broadcasting news bulletins in 22 languages and programs in 21 languages, Minister Sharma said this diversity reflects the country's multi-linguistic, multi-religious, and multi-cultural characteristics, marking a significant step towards implementing federalism. She shared the government's policy of establishing the Public Broadcasting Service by integrating Radio Nepal and Nepal Television and urged Radio Nepal to prepare for this transition.

Minister Sharma acknowledged Radio Nepal's role as a witness to various political, social, economic, and cultural transformations since its establishment following the 2007 BS People's Revolution. She stressed the need for Radio Nepal to produce and disseminate diverse content considering the nation's geographical and cultural diversities.

The Communications Minister said it is necessary for Radio Nepal, which still proves its presence as a vital source of information amidst the advanced development of information technology, to produce and disseminate more diverse content bearing in mind the geographical and cultural diversities of the nation. 

Describing Radio as a friend of citizens primarily in rural settings, the Minister said it has ensured access to citizens who are out of television and internet access, to information and entertainment.

Its services are available on the online portal as well, she said.  

She advised Radio Nepal to focus on additional research and explorations of content related to art, literature, music, language, culture, knowledge, science, and information technology should be the goal of Radio Nepal.

She took time to claim that the People's War and the people's movement resulted in a significant political transformation in the country. "Democracy, federalism, republic, secularism and inclusion, and proportional representation are historic achievements of the citizens and the nation. Now it is necessary to safeguard these achievements and bring change in people's lives based on the foundation of political transformations."

Minister Sharma directed the Radio Nepal to pay attention to producing and broadcasting fair, trustworthy, factual and reliable news as well as more inclusive and people-oriented programs by using new technology in this competitive era.

Radio Nepal should make its programs, news and content more public broadcasting oriented considering the changing context, competition and national responsibility, she underlined.

Similarly, Secretary at the Ministry and Chairperson of Radio Broadcasting Service Development Committee, Ram Krishna Subedi, mentioned that the government has a goal of developing the Radio Nepal and Nepal Television as a public service broadcasting organization.

Radio Nepal should give priority to educational, development and public awareness-oriented programs to ensure right to information, and to launch a campaign in favor of good governance, he added.

Likewise, Executive Director of Radio Broadcasting Service Development Committee, Buddhi Bahadur KC, shared that Radio Nepal has been broadcasting news in 22 different languages and programs in 21 languages round the clock through medium wave and FM broadcasting, and via online and digital platforms.

Radio Nepal has become successful in expanding its reach to 93 percent of the total population by establishing FM relay centers at 32 places of the country, he explained.

On the occasion, Minister Sharma and Secretary Subedi jointly unveiled a souvenir published by Radio Nepal. Minister Sharma presented 'Radio Nepal National Award' to different personalities for their significant contribution to the promotion of radio broadcasting and music sector.

Similarly, employees completing 25 years of service at Radio Nepal were awarded with the Dirgha Sewa Medal (Long Service Medal) while this year's best employee and best relay station were also honored on the occasion. 

The main opposition party, Nepali Congress, has reiterated its demand of forming a parliamentary committee for conducting a fair investigation into cooperative fraud, saying the name of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane is linked to it.

The NC demanded that authority be given to such a committee to carry out investigation on cooperative fraud cases and bring out the truth. 

Speaker Devraj Ghimire allotted time to NC lawmaker Ram Krishna Yadav after all the NC lawmakers stood from their respective seats as a protest in today's meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR).

Speaking in the meeting, lawmaker Yadav pointed out the need of parliamentary probe into the cooperative fraud scam, citing that a crisis of trust has surfaced after the investigation on Lamichhane stopped with reconstitution of the government.

He said Home Minister Lamichhane should resign from the post based on ethics as he had taken a loan of Rs 800 million from a cooperative at a time when he was working at Gorkha Media Pvt Ltd and has still not cleared it.

Lawmaker Yadav also demanded investigation on Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security, DP Aryal as he is also found involved in cooperative cases, clarifying his party would not obstruct the House on other issues except the issues connected with the Home Ministry and Cooperative. 

Urging the government to seriously pay attention on the issues raised by lawmakers in the House, he urged the government to raise hope among the people by ending impunity, and maintaining rule of law and good governance.

In response, Speaker Ghimire said his and the House's attention was drawn on the issues raised by lawmaker Yadav.