KATHMANDU, August 21: The 25th general convention of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) began in Kathmandu on Sunday. Inaugurating the convention, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said that Nepali media fraternity had played a vital role in institutionalizing democratic republican system in Nepal. 

Prime Minister Deuba said although the number of media outlets in Nepal are proliferating, they are still not financially stable. "I have understood that there is difficulty in journalism. There are a large number of media in Nepal. But  they are weak economically," he said. The prime minister also lauded the role played by media in the development of the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Information and Communications Mohan Bahadur  Basnet expressed his commitment to implement minimum salary of working journalists.
On the occasion, Prime Minister Deuba handed over Krishna Prasad Bhattarai National Journalism Award to journalist Bijaya Kumar Pandey. The award carries a purse of Rs 100,000.

Similarly, Gobinda Biyogi National Journalism Award was given to senior journalist Bhairab Risal and Krishna Sen Icchhuk National Journalism Award to journalist Komal Baral. Likewise, journalist Seema Singh Sharma bagged Uma Singh National Award and late Pushkar Thapa was posthumously awarded Gauri Kathayat Memorial Journalism Award.

Altogether  1,515 FNJ  central councilors have arrived in Kathmandu from across the country to take part in the general convention.

The convention will vote to elect a 45-member new working committee including president, two vice presidents, general secretary, treasurer and six secretaries.

 
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