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Speaker Devraj Ghimire has said that the health sector is more important in terms of genre-based journalism.

Addressing a program organized today on the occasion of the 10th Foundation Day of the Health Journalists Forum Nepal, he said that health journalism informs the public about health issues including diseases. “However, writing about fact-based public health issues in a language that the general public can understand is a challenging task,” he said, “The added challenge now is to stop the misuse of technology, including AI, and fake news that goes viral."

Hence, individuals and institutions engaged in genre-based journalism, especially health should be more responsible in this regard. Speaker Ghimire emphasized that news should be written with more priority on preventing disease rather than on and about diseases.

Also speaking at the event, Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Poudel said that health journalists can put pressure on those leading the state and health sector. As despite the advancements in the medical and health sector treatment is still not accessible to the general public.

World Health Organization Nepal Chief Dr Rajesh Sambhaji Rao Pandav said that the role of journalists is important in public health awareness and said that the WHO has been collaborating with Health Journalists Forum Nepal on various issues of public health.

Federation of Nepali Journalists President Nirmala Sharma said that health journalism has emerged along with the development of genre-based journalism. She stressed that not all that appear in the digital media is news.

Forum President Bisha Kafle discussed the 10-year history of the forum and the initiatives so far. (RSS)

Speaker Devraj Ghimire has informed that an international conference on climate change would be organized on August 18-19 to draw global attention on the impact of climate change in Nepal.    

Speaker Ghimire shared it at a news conference held at Tribhuvan International Airport upon his arrival from Switzerland. The Speaker returned home on Sunday after attending the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments in Geneva, Switzerland. He also informed that discussion was held on organizing similar event- on impact of climate change in Asia Pacific region- coming January 30-31. "The Conference was informed about Nepali lawmakers' preparation to hold the significant event," he shared.    

Ghimire had left here on July 27 to attend the 'Sixth World Conference of the Speakers of Parliaments' organized by the IPU in collaboration with the United Nations in Geneva.    

The event was organized from July 30 to August 2. During his stay, Speaker Ghimire had bilateral meetings with counterparts from various countries, including UK, Switzerland, Malta, Israel and Bhutan.(RSS)

Speaker Devraj Ghimire has said power of the Parliament rests on digital access and public trust. 

He said this in the 'Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments' organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, Switzerland on July 29-31 today. 

Delivering his remarks on the topic 'What will be the role of parliamentarians in shaping our digital future?'Ghimire noted, "The strength of the Parliament today is not merely in the papers but rests on digital access and public trust". 

Highlighting the need of increasing budget in the technology sector, he said it has been of utmost importance to assure resources in digital infrastructure, cyber security, internet literacy and data protection. 

He argued that the Parliament should be developed as a leading institution rather than keeping itself behind in the era of digital transformation. 

"The parliamentarians have been successful in straightly holding dialogue with the citizens and receive their responses through social networking sites and digital media, as well as reflect the people's mandate in policy formulation", he shared. 

“However, the challenge of misusing technology for spreading misinformation and propaganda are on the rise. Parliaments have the responsibility to promote digital literacy along with the use of technology”, Ghimire mentioned. 

Speaker Ghimire expressed confidence that Parliaments can make their operations more effective by practicing technologies like machine learning, data centers, digitization, and speech-to-text technology, and that such technologies will strengthen the relationship between the parliament and the public. 

“I would like to inform you that a study is being conducted on the use of artificial intelligence in legislative management in the federal Parliament  of Nepal”, the Speaker shared, adding, “We are working on the artificial intelligence bill and the social media bill in the country. 

He informed that digital technology has provided an important opportunity to enhance the transparency, efficiency, and public participation in the functioning of the parliament. 

Technologies like online broadcasting, e-parliament systems, digital records, and electronic voting systems have contributed to the effective operations of the Parliament. 

Speaker Devraj Ghimire has expressed confidence that the Land Bill pending in the Parliament will be passed soon. 

Addressing a program to distribute land ownership certificates to the landless residents of Arjundhara Municipality in the district today, he said that the land problem that has been surfacing for years will be solved after the enactment of a new law on land by the Parliament. 

Mentioning that hundreds of landless people need to be made owners of land, he recalled that the previous commission had complained of problems in the distribution of certificates due to the high cost of revenue.

He said that after the current government reduced land revenue to five percent, the number of people willing to take loans is increasing. 

Today, 96 homeless residents of Arjundhara Municipality-11 received land ownership certificates.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire has called on the political parties represented in the Parliament to maintain the dignity of the Parliament, fostering inter-party consensus through dialogue and collaboration as well as to move ahead in unity in addressing the people's aspirations.

On the occasion of Parliament Day, 2082 BS, today, Speaker Ghimire extended best wishes to all Nepali brothers and sisters, current and former members of the federal parliament, and representatives of provincial assemblies and local levels. 

He expressed gratitude for the contributions of the free press, civil society, and the conscious citizens towards making the Parliament more effective, accountable, and responsive to the people. 

On the historic occasion of Parliament Day, while paying heartfelt tribute to the martyrs who dedicated their lives to the movement for parliamentary democracy, he also recalled the contributions of political warriors.

Parliament Day is celebrated every year on the 16th of Ashad in commemoration of the first meeting of the people-elected House of Representatives in Nepal.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire has issued a directive to withdraw the statement made by lawmaker Amaresh Kumar Singh during today’s session of the House of Representatives.

While participating in deliberations on the Appropriation Bill for the fiscal year 2025/26, Singh controversially proposed that all districts except five be "leased to other countries," alleging that only five districts were being prioritized in the upcoming budget.

CPN-UML Chief Whip Mahesh Bartaula objected to the remark, citing Rules 20, 21, and 23 of the House of Representatives Regulations (2079 BS). He asserted that Singh’s statement was against the national interest.

Earlier during Singh’s address, the Speaker had repeatedly directed him to use appropriate parliamentary language while presenting his views.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire today held discussions with Acting Chair of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Dol Prasad Aryal, and Chair of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Rajendra Lingden seeking their cooperation to create an environment conducive to ending the ongoing obstructions in the House.

During his meeting with Aryal at New Baneshwor, the Speaker urged the RSP to change the form of parliamentary protest, keeping in mind the constitutional obligation to begin budget discussions within the stipulated timeline. 

In response, Aryal stated that the party would continue its obstruction but pledged to make parliamentary proceedings more decent. 

It may be noted that the chief whips of various political parties had earlier drawn the Speaker’s attention to ‘non-parliamentary performance' during the House of Representatives (HoR) obstruction on Friday.

The Speaker also sought the cooperation of RPP Chair Lingden in resuming House business. 

According to the Speaker’s private secretariat, he spoke with Lingden over the phone, requesting him to consider the constitutional necessity of starting budgetary discussions and to cooperate  in resuming House proceedings.

House of Representatives Devraj Speaker Ghimire said that the Parliament meeting will commence from 2 pm today.

The Speaker said so after observing the photo exhibition entitled 'Mountain Tourism: Our Pride, Our Identity' organized by Rastriya Samachar Samiti, the National News Agency to commemorate the 18th Republic Day, today.

"The House does not necessarily have to be obstructed, but it is. The meeting of the House of Representatives will be held from 2 pm today. Generally, meetings used to be scheduled for 11 am and 1 am, but today the meeting has been set for 2 pm. I hope that the Parliament will start from 2 pm," he said on the occasion.

Speaker Ghimire said that the House meeting was disrupted just when it was about to hold discussions on important agendas of the budget. "Now, it is necessary to reduce the number of lawmakers taking part in the deliberations and to conduct the discussions according to the procedure," the Speaker said, adding that the House obstruction has already caused the damage and the agenda for now should be set accordingly, and the discussion on the budget should be concluded according to the procedure.

Speaker Ghimire asserted that the meeting agenda would now be set in order to conclude the deliberations on the budget within the fixed timeline.

Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) Devraj Ghimire held a meeting with the Chief Whips of the three major parties in a bid to resume the House proceedings.

Speaker Ghimire held the meeting with  Nepali Congress Chief Whip Shyam Kumar Ghimire, CPN-UML Chief Whil Nepali Mahesh Kumar Bartaula and CPN (Maoist Center) Chief Whip Hitraj Pandey in Singha Durbar this morning.

During the meeting, Speaker Ghimire expressed his  dissatisfaction, stating that although the parliamentary meetings have been postponed multiple times for consensus among political parties, no result has been seen. 

Saying that discussions on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year could not begin due to the obstruction in Parliament, he urged the parties to consider constitutional limits and practical aspects. 

Main opposition Maoist Center Chief Whip Pandey said that party Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal has convened a meeting of opposition parties in Baneshwor today, and thereafter they would express their stance. 

Ruling UML Chief Whip Bartaula and Nepali Congress Chief Whip Ghimire reiterated their stance that they could not agree to the opposition's demand for the resignation of the Home Minister and the formation of an investigation committee to carry out investigation into the 'visit visa scam'.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire has issued a ruling to the government to ascertain the truth behind the death of Prisa Shah at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha, India.

During a meeting of the House of Representatives on Monday, lawmakers drew the attention of the government to the demise of Sah, a Nepali student at KIIT in India.

Sah was found dead at her hostel room on Thursday evening.

Saying that his attention has been drawn to the issue raised by the lawmakers in the emergency time of the meeting, Speaker Ghimire directed the government to initiate high-level diplomatic efforts with the Indian government and provide necessary legal assistance to the family.

“The mysterious deaths of students, who had gone abroad to study with dreams of a bright future, one after another are also a serious question linked to the sensitivity and responsibility of the nation,” he said, adding, “I direct the government to take deep interest in this incident and to initiate high-level diplomatic talks with the Indian government to ascertain the truth and provide necessary legal assistance to the family.”

Speaker Devraj Ghimire has underscored the need for collaboration among all stakeholders to ensure social security, skill development of workers, technology-friendly environment, equal opportunities and dignified labour. 

Issuing a message on the occasion of the World Labor Day (May Day), he extended best wishes to all the workers, labour activists, and trade unions in Nepal, saying the issues of child labour, inequality between working men and women, opaque employment system and exploitation in foreign employment indicate need of a stronger policy and monitoring mechanism.

The Labor Day is a day of solidarity with our shared campaign towards building an inclusive, just and dignified society, Speaker Ghimire said the implementation of the law ensuring the rights of the workers was challenging. 

"The Constitution has institutionalized the rights of workers as the basis of economic and social justice. Article 34 guarantees the 'right to labor', which clearly stipulates the responsibility of the state on matters such as fair wages, safe and dignified labour environment and social security”, the message reads.

A Nepali parliamentary delegation led by Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) Devraj Ghimire has left for Uzbekistan today to attend the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the 4th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network.

The delegation includes members of Parliament Shyam Kumar Ghimire, Anjan Shakya, Suryaman Dong Tamang, Sovita Gautam, Secretary General of the Federal Parliament Padma Prasad Pandey and Secretary of the House of Representatives Harkaraj Rai.

The annual assembly of the Organization and the fourth summit of the Non-Aligned Network will be held in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, from April 5 to 9.

"Speaker Ghimire will address the meeting on "Parliamentary Action for Social Development and Justice."

Similarly, lawmaker Shakya is scheduled to participate in the Forum of Women Parliamentarians and lawmaker Gautam in the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, and lawmaker Shakya is also scheduled to present her candidacy on behalf of the Asia-Pacific region in the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development.

Speaker Ghimire is scheduled to deliver a speech on "Commemorating 70 years of Bandung Spirit: Role of Parliament in Adhering to Bandung Principles" at the 4th Summit of the Parliamentary Network to be held on April 6.

The Federal Parliament Secretariat has said that there will also be 'sideline' meetings with the Speakers of various countries on the occasion.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire has extended his best wishes for goodwill, peace, stability and mutual understanding among all Nepali people. 

In a message of best wishes today, Speaker Ghimire extended best wishes to the entire Nepali Muslim community on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. 

He expressed the belief that such festivals would further strengthen mutual unity, reconciliation and religious tolerance. "May the grand festival, which comes after the practice of fasting, spiritual purity, self-restraint and charity during the month of Ramadan, bring happiness, peace and prosperity to all", reads the message. 

The tradition of strengthening the relationship between the communities has made this festival more meaningful, the Speaker noted in the message. 

"Nepal is a country with multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural diversity and the Constitution has ensured religious freedom by respecting all religions, cultures and traditions", the message further stated. 

Speaker Devaj Ghimire has described the incident that took place at Tinkune on Friday was an attack on democracy and urged the political parties to create an environment to hold a discussion and debate on the issue in Parliament.

In a meeting with the Chief Whips of the political parties held at the Parliament Building, New Baneshwar today, he called on the parties to give a sense that the Parliament is active by holding discussions on the incident that took place in the country.

Speaker Ghimire said it would not be appropriate to disrupt the House under any circumstances when the situation calls for the House to carry out its business even if it was not in session.

Chief Whip of the ruling CPN-UML Mahesh Kumar Bartaula said the Prime Minister would address the House meeting on March 31.

Also Read: Attack on Annapurna Media Network evokes widespread condemnation

He informed that there was a telephonic conversation between the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition parties on the issue of removing the obstruction of Parliament.

According to him, the Prime Minister has called for an all-party meeting today itself.

Meanwhile, the ruling party has requested the opposition parties to open the obstruction of the House through dialogue. The opposition parties, however, said their stance has not changed.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire has pointed out the need to further strengthen our cooperation with India for Nepal's sustainable development with a focus on an investment increase for promotion of mutual interests. 

In his address to the Kasthamandap Dialogue organised by the Foundation for Peace, Development and Socialism, here today, the Speaker stressed this. 

In the Dialogue centered on Belt and Road Initiate (BRI) and Nepal-China cooperation, the Speaker called for identifying new potential areas for Nepal-China cooperation and include them as projects under the BRI. 

As a close neighbor and good friend of China, Nepal takes pride in China's remarkable progress and aims to benefit from its extraordinary development through a broader economic partnership, Ghimire remarked. "We highly appreciate China's support and cooperation in Nepal's developmental endeavors," he added, expressing hope for significant assistance from the northern neighbor as Nepal moves towards graduating from the category of Least Developed Country (LDC) to a middle-income country by 2026 and also for the sustainability of this status.

Ghimire further highlighted that Nepal's historic relationship with China, based on mutual trust, understanding, and friendship, has been strengthened through the BRI. "This initiative is not just about infrastructure for Nepal; it should be viewed as an opportunity for Nepal to explore new avenues for economic growth," he said.

He also suggested that Nepal, leveraging its geographical position, has the potential to be developed into a 'transit hub.' To realize this, Ghimire stressed the need for enhancing bilateral collaboration on physical infrastructure, including roadways, railways, information technology, and trade relations.

Reflecting on the longstanding diplomatic ties between Nepal and China, which have flourished over the past seven decades, Ghimire affirmed that Nepal’s policies are guided by the five principles (Panchasheel) of peaceful coexistence. "We are always ready to take steps to deepen the cordial relations between our two nations," he added. He also reiterated Nepal’s commitment to the 'One China Policy' and described China as a reliable and significant development partner for Nepal.

Former Prime Minister and senior CPN (Unified Socialist) leader Jhalanath Khanal, who also spoke at the event, highlighted the BRI as a global development project that offers abundant opportunities for infrastructure development and expanding connectivity. "It is a boon for many countries around the world," he said, urging Nepal to ensure it capitalizes on the potential benefits.

China’s Ambassador to Nepal, Chen Song, shared about China's achievements in infrastructure development, information technology, industrialization, innovation, and research. He reiterated China’s strong support for Nepal’s developmental goals.

During the Dialogue, business communities and academics from Nepal and China are scheduled to exchange views on the implementation of the BRI in Nepal, its opportunities, and challenges.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire made a ruling in the House of Representatives (HoR) session today, urging the government to address concerns raised by the opposition parties in the Parliament including in zero and special hours.

He drew serious attention of the relevant minister towards that end as per the Rule 15(2) of the House of Representatives Regulations-2079 BS.

In the lower house meeting today, the opposition parties including the CPN (Maoist Center) demanded the government to inform them about the clarification sought from the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Managing Director. They called for the Speaker's ruling towards that end.

Once the meeting convened, the members from the opposition parties stood from their respective seats and the Speaker granted time to Maoist Center's Chief Whip Hitraj Pandey to put his views.

Airing his views, Pandey said they wanted to be clear about the reports the government has been continuously seeking clarifications from NEA Managing Director Ghising and he was also given zero during the work performance evaluation.