Kathmandu: The Nepal government will take action against two television channels of yoga guru Ramdev if it is found that they are being operated in the country without permission or without following proper procedures, a senior official said on Sunday.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center President Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ jointly launched two TV channels – Aastha Nepal TV And patanjali nepal tv – On Friday in the presence of Ramdev and his close Acharya Balkrishna.
The channels are meant for broadcasting religious and yogic programs.
However, Gogan Bahadur Hamal, director general of Nepal’s Department of Information and Broadcasting, said the two television channels never applied for registration and did not follow any legal process to start them.
Humal told PTI-language, “If we come to know that Patanjali Nepal and Ashta Nepal channels of Yoga Guru Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna from India are telecasting television programs without completing any legal formalities and even without registering If the infrastructure is built, then we will take action.”
“We cannot believe the statement issued by Patanjali Nepal. We have constituted an inquiry committee to find out the truth. If they have done any operation of television channels from Nepal without our permission and without following due procedures. If any preparations are made, we will take necessary action,” Hamal said.
However, Patanjali Yogpeeth Nepal said in a statement that it has already gone through a verification process for television channels from the Registrar of Companies’ office and process has been initiated for further permission from the concerned bodies to operate television channels. .
“We have not actually telecast the television channels, we have only made technical preparations for it. We have just inaugurated the television broadcasting office building.
It said that television channels for the purpose of broadcasting programs related to yoga, Ayurvedic education, culture, literature and spiritual philosophy would start functioning only after due process.
Commenting on the development, Patanjali spokesperson SK Tijarawala said that Aastha TV has a proper license for downlinking in Nepal, valid till 2024.
“Prime Minister Debuba inaugurated the trial run of two channels – Aastha Nepal TV and Patanjali Nepal TV – with country-specific content in Nepali language on November 19, 2021. It took 30 days to obtain commercial approval for this trial run. It’s time for full broadcast,” he said.
He said that after December 19, the entire broadcast will start as per the due process.
He said, “The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of Nepal has already accepted the fact that this inauguration of two channels – Aastha Nepal TV and Patanjali Nepal TV is in accordance with due diligence following the rules and regulations.”
Meanwhile, the Federation of Nepali Journalists, an umbrella organization of local journalists, issued a statement saying that the country’s law prohibits foreign investment in media and the launch of television channels by the Patanjali group is in violation of the law.
“We would like to remind the concerned group about the existing laws and regulations that prevent the operation of TV channels under foreign investment,” the statement said.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center President Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ jointly launched two TV channels – Aastha Nepal TV And patanjali nepal tv – On Friday in the presence of Ramdev and his close Acharya Balkrishna.
The channels are meant for broadcasting religious and yogic programs.
However, Gogan Bahadur Hamal, director general of Nepal’s Department of Information and Broadcasting, said the two television channels never applied for registration and did not follow any legal process to start them.
Humal told PTI-language, “If we come to know that Patanjali Nepal and Ashta Nepal channels of Yoga Guru Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna from India are telecasting television programs without completing any legal formalities and even without registering If the infrastructure is built, then we will take action.”
“We cannot believe the statement issued by Patanjali Nepal. We have constituted an inquiry committee to find out the truth. If they have done any operation of television channels from Nepal without our permission and without following due procedures. If any preparations are made, we will take necessary action,” Hamal said.
However, Patanjali Yogpeeth Nepal said in a statement that it has already gone through a verification process for television channels from the Registrar of Companies’ office and process has been initiated for further permission from the concerned bodies to operate television channels. .
“We have not actually telecast the television channels, we have only made technical preparations for it. We have just inaugurated the television broadcasting office building.
It said that television channels for the purpose of broadcasting programs related to yoga, Ayurvedic education, culture, literature and spiritual philosophy would start functioning only after due process.
Commenting on the development, Patanjali spokesperson SK Tijarawala said that Aastha TV has a proper license for downlinking in Nepal, valid till 2024.
“Prime Minister Debuba inaugurated the trial run of two channels – Aastha Nepal TV and Patanjali Nepal TV – with country-specific content in Nepali language on November 19, 2021. It took 30 days to obtain commercial approval for this trial run. It’s time for full broadcast,” he said.
He said that after December 19, the entire broadcast will start as per the due process.
He said, “The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of Nepal has already accepted the fact that this inauguration of two channels – Aastha Nepal TV and Patanjali Nepal TV is in accordance with due diligence following the rules and regulations.”
Meanwhile, the Federation of Nepali Journalists, an umbrella organization of local journalists, issued a statement saying that the country’s law prohibits foreign investment in media and the launch of television channels by the Patanjali group is in violation of the law.
“We would like to remind the concerned group about the existing laws and regulations that prevent the operation of TV channels under foreign investment,” the statement said.
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