After the President Bidhya Devi Bhandari presented the government’s policy and program at Legislature Parliament  for the fiscal year 2016/17  Sunday,  there has been a new issue of debate started among the Freedom of Expression (FoE) supporters and activists in Nepal.  During her address,  she highlighted, the  new policy which would further monitor the implementation of working journalists act and further regulating the mass media policy.  The new policies  highlighted major development and expediting the reconstruction and development work where as on the other the policy also expressed issues of regulating online media and restructuring the policy mechanism of Nepal.
Though, the policy was not detailed in view of just limiting the aspect of journalists but a new debate has started among the intellectual group whether the policy would further curtail the FoE Â of people in marginalizing their human rights in the name of Mass Media Policy.
Issuing a press statement,  The Federation of Nepali Journalists(FNJ) has highlighted the Nepal Government initiation towards change is certainly credible but it has  failed to address some of the major issues of the Industry. The policy and programs failed to address formation of National Mass Communication Training Academy, health insurance for journalists, operation of conflict-affected journalists’ welfare fund, senior journalists’ honorarium, etc which are the current need of the time.
