SAARC to join hands in film, broadcast, media

KATHMANDU: South Asian information ministers ended a two-day meeting in Kathmandu on Tuesday with an agreement to cooperate in broadcasting, film and media development, said an official.

The ministers from the seven-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) had agreed to establish “a regulatory framework to streamline the works of private channels and broadcasting agencies”, said Nepal Minister for Information and Communications Tanka Dhakal. They had furthermore decided to organise festivals across the SAARC countries featuring films, television films and documentaries produced in the region. “It was also agreed to establish a $100,000 seed fund for media development and prepare trans-national guidelines for satellite broadcast in the region,” Dhakal said. SAARC, formed in 1985, groups Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, India and Bhutan. afp

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