Nepal's News Agency Embraces Diversity with New Regional Language Services

Nepal's Rastriya Samachar Samiti has started offering news in Newari and Maithili languages. This initiative aims to promote these regional languages and strengthen national unity, reducing discrimination based on language, culture, religion, and class.

Nepal's state-owned news agency, Rastriya Samachar Samiti, has launched news services in Newari and Maithili, two regional languages. This development marks a step towards increasing linguistic inclusivity in the nation's media landscape.

Newari, indigenous to the Kathmandu Valley's Newar communities, and Maithili, prevalent in Nepal's southern Mithila region bordering India, are the latest additions to the agency's linguistic offerings. Minister for Communication and IT, Prithvi Subba Gurung, asserted that this initiative would not only aid in promoting these languages but also foster national unity among the country's diverse linguistic communities.

With over 100 languages spoken in Nepal, disseminating news in different regional tongues is seen as a key move to eliminate language, cultural, religious, and class-based discrimination, an essential aspect of a federal democratic society, noted Minister Gurung. Executive chairman Dharmendra Jha highlighted the historical significance, discussing the Newari and Maithili newspapers that began over a century ago.

(With inputs from agencies.)