Aagya Khabar
Kathmandu

From now on, the registration and renewal of online media will no longer be handled by the Department of Information and Broadcasting, but by the Office of the Chief District Officer (CDO).

On Tuesday, the Department of Information and Broadcasting, under the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, issued a notice informing that the process of registering and renewing online media has been suspended. The notice, issued by Section Officer Shanti Lama, states that the responsibility has now been transferred to local authorities under the Ministry of Home Affairs — specifically, the Chief District Officers.

The government has amended the Printing and Publication Act 2048 (1991) by adding Section 7(k), which authorizes local officials to oversee the registration and renewal of online media. Previously, registration of print media (newspapers and magazines) was carried out through the CDO office under the same Act. Now, the same process will be applied to online media as well.

Under the new arrangement, media operators will be required to register and renew their online platforms at the district administration office of the district where they are based. The government expects that this new provision will simplify the administrative procedures for online media at the local level.