Kathmandu May 6.

Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada, has expressed the government’s commitment in implementing the fundamental right related to information and communications guaranteed by the Constitution of Nepal as per the established international norms, values and practices of freedom of expression, press freedom and information dissemination. Minister Khatiwada assured of this in a message of best wishes he gave today on the occasion of the National Journalism Day and the the Gorakhapatra National Daily’s entering the 120th year of its publication. Highly evaluating the role played by journalism sector in the maintenance of the democratic governance system, he expressed his full confidence that the journalists and the mass communication media would play an important role in information dissemination in fair, impartial, balanced, professional and responsible manner. “Journalism’s prestige would be enhanced only through the practice of truth-based, impartial and credible journalism. By the same token, it can make notable contribution to the social sector as well by bringing out the challenges facing the country and presenting their solution,” the Communications and Information Technology Minister said. He also wished that may the National Journalism Day inspire all journalists and the entire mass communication sector towards fulfilling their professional responsibility through continuous dissemination of information, analysis and expression while realising the fact that incomparable contribution could be made to nation building by means of information dissemination. The National Journalism Day commemorates the first day of the publication of the Gorakhapatra, the country’s first and foremost national vernacular newspaper, in 1958 BS (1901 AD). The government had announced five years ago to celebrate the Gorakhapatra’s birthday as the National Journalism Day.