The Nepal Weekly 
October 22, 2024
Minister for Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung on Sunday inaugurated the transmission of news services in two regional languages, Newari and Maithili, by the government owned National News Agency of Nepal (Rastriya Samachar Samiti). Newari language is mainly spoken by the Newar communities, majority of whom reside in Kathmandu valley and Maithili is spoken Mithila region, a part of southern plains of Nepal.
Speaking as chief guest on the occasion Communication Minister Gurung said that beginning of news services in these two regional languages will help promote the respective languages as well as strengthen national unity in the country. Nepal is a country of unity in diversity, where more than 100 languages are spoken, he pointed out and expressed the view that dissemination of news in different languages will end discrimination based on language, culture, religion and class, which is the basic features of a federal democratic system.
Dharmendra Jha, executive chairman of the news agency informed that the first newspapers in Newari language started one hundred years ago where as the first Maithili language newspaper was published around 120 years ago. By recognizing the regional languages spoken by an important segment of Nepalese society the news agency has helped strengthen the feeling of national unity among the people, he pointed out.
