July 4: The Advertisement Board of Nepal has issued a code of conduct related to production, distribution, publication and broadcasting of advertisement.

Minister for Information and Communication Gyanendra Bahadur Karki unveiled the code of conduct amid a function on Sunday and instructed the board to implement the code within a week.

Once the code is implemented, any company interested in advertising its product on social media like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube among others need to take permission from the board to do so.

Minister Karki said that the code has been introduced to ensure healthy competition among advertisers and to maintain the reputation of the advertising sector.

The minister expressed his view that this new initiative cannot be termed historic and successful unless the code is implemented properly. He said that the code was introduced after consulting with all stakeholders and expressed his belief that it will end the unhealthy competition seen in the advertising sector. He also expressed his commitment to remove any hurdles in implementing the code.

He said that the problems faced by the country has nothing to do with the policy but it is due to the lack of implementation.

“All the developed countries have advanced because they have given first priority to discipline,” said the minister.

While releasing the 38-page code, Minister Karki said that our country too can become beautiful and advanced if we give priority to independence and discipline.

Speaking at the programme, President of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) Bipul Pokharel said that the code has been introduced with the objective of ending unhealthy competition in the advertisement sector.

Chairman of the Advertisement Board of Nepal Laxman Humagain said the code has been formulated with the objective of holding all stakeholders accountable. He added that the board held several rounds of discussions with advertising agencies, media professionals and journalists' associations in course of drafting the code of conduct.    

Speaking at the programme, Chairman of New Business Age Private Limited Madan Lamsal, who is also the editor-in-chief if New Business Age and Aarthik Abhiyan Daily raised the issue regarding the number of media houses the country should have and how to differentiate party activists in those media houses.