Oct 31, Kathmandu - Fees will be charged for registering and renewing online media outlets.

The government has made arrangements to charge fees for registering and renewing online media outlets in accordance with the Printing Press and Publication (Second Amendment) Regulations 2082.

According to the new amended regulations, a fee of Rs 5,000 will be charged for registering an online media outlet, while a fee of Rs 2,500 will be charged for renewal.

The government made this provision by publishing a notice in the Gazette on 13 Kartik.

The Cabinet meeting held on Ashwin 9 had decided to designate the Director General of the Department of Information and Broadcasting as the local authority for the purpose of registering online media outlets in accordance with the Printing Press and Publication Act 2048 BS.

Jagdish Kharel, Minister for Communications, Information and Technology of the government formed after the Gen-Z Movement, said after the meeting, "It has been decided to designate the Director General of the Department of Information and Broadcasting as the local authority for the purpose of registering online media outlets in accordance with the Printing Press and Publication Act 2048 BS." Earlier, as per the decision of the KP Sharma Oli-led government, the Department of Information and Broadcasting had suspended the registration and renewal of online media outlets on 21 Shrawan.

Although the Department of Information and Broadcasting has been handling the registration and renewal of online media outlets, the government had transferred the authority for online registration and renewal to the District Administration Office as per the provisions of the Printing Press and Publication Act, 2048 BS through some amendments to Nepal Acts.

Correcting that, the current government has decided to have the online registration and renewal process handled by the Department of Information and Broadcasting. Along with this, the government has also fixed the fees for registration and renewal.