Nepal’s Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, has said the government wants to establish Nepal as a leading country in South Asia in terms of press freedom.

The minister was speaking at a ceremony in Kathmandu on 30 May marking the 37th birthday of Nepal Television (NTV), the national news agency RSS reports.

He said the government expected proactive assistance from stakeholders to see its plan materialise.

Mr Karki said NTV should raise the voices of all ethnic and language communities and pledged the government’s assistance and protection for these efforts.

NTV’s Executive Chair, Samir Jung Shah, its General Manager, Phulman Bal Tamang, and others expressed support for the growth and development of NTV and the career development of its journalists and other employees.