Biratnagar, March 31 (RSS): Former Central President of Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) Taranath Dahal was presented ‘Shashtrika Basnet Information Right Award.

Province-1 Minister for Internal Affairs and Law, Hikmat Karki presented the award with cash prize of Rs 51,000 to noted Right to Information activist Dahal.

Speaking on the occasion, Province-1 Minister for Internal Affairs and Law, Hikmat Karki said that the journalist fraternity should work to establish people’s rights being impartial, neutral and courageous.

At the programme organized here on Friday on the occasion of 63rd establishment day of FNJ, he said that the province government is in the process of framing laws to keep citizen’s right to information.

Likewise, Minister for Financial Affairs and Planning Indra Bahadur Angbo and Social Development Minister Jeevan Ghimire jointly handed over Shashtrika Basnet Information Right Incentive Award to Raju Shrestha of Biratnagar. The award carries a purse of Rs 11,111.

Kedar Bahadur Karki, a local of Biratnagar-11, had instituted the award by setting up a revolving fund of Rs 700,000 in memory of his wife.

Awarded personality Dahal said that journalism should be accountable to people and democracy while noting that the investigative journalism could only gain public trust.