Kavrepalanchok, 26 November: Minister of Communication and Information Technology Prithvisubba Gurung has clarified that the government will not take loans under the Chinese project Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He said that during Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s visit to China next week, the government will not take loans but will be able to enter into a grant agreement.
Minister Gurung said in a program organized today in Dhulikhel on the occasion of the first anniversary of the ‘Madani Bit.com’ news ‘portal’ run from Kavrepalanchok, “There are two angles to consider whether or not to implement BRI, but the government is not saying that the BRI agreement should be continued, but that it should be implemented because of the MoU,” said Minister Gurung. He reiterated that the government’s policy is not in favor of taking loans from wherever they got them. The Minister of Communications said, “We will not take loans from any country, we will take subsidies. If China gives us a subsidy, we will accept it. There can be an agreement on that.”
Minister Gurung mentioned that it is not unusual to have a difference of opinion towards BRI and said, “The countries that agreed to the BRI project are doing well. He said that the current government is trying to strengthen democracy and citizens. He said that the government is carrying out its activities with a positive mindset focusing on the work of development and construction.
He said that some development projects have been delayed due to inter-ministerial disagreements, so it is the responsibility of the government to settle the process and move forward. Minister Gurung said that out of Rs 18 trillion 500 million, only about three billion rupees have been allocated for capital expenditure, while even half of it has not been utilized, the state has to investigate why the capital expenditure did not happen. “If there is no increase in capital expenditure due to lack of timely policy making or other reasons, let’s take stock of it. It is also necessary to change our working style. The state apparatus must be operated in a system, development and construction must be made the first agenda”, said the Minister of Communications, emphasizing on the need for proper utilization of resources and means.
Minister Gurung expressed his concern that the chaotic and unlimited presentation on social media has received support and asked the media not to follow baseless news. He said that due to false news, the family has started to become idols. He said that the media should be sensitive and enjoy the freedom of the press as the news of the media creates serious situations up to suicide. He suggested that the media and media personnel should not shirk their responsibility towards publishing and broadcasting within the bounds of dignity.
The Minister of Communication and Information Technology informed that since the press council is insufficient to regulate the media, the discussion on the bill of the council to make it more organized has been initiated in the parliamentary committee. He expressed his belief that the bill to regulate the use, operation and regulation of social media has also been presented in the Council of Ministers and that the next session of the Parliament will pass it.
