Kathmandu. The government has appointed Santosh Shrestha as the chairman of the Advertisement Board.

As per the decision of the cabinet meeting held on September 18, Shrestha, a resident of Kathmandu Metropolitan City-14, has been appointed as the chairman of the board for four years. Newly-appointed Chairman Shrestha took the oath of office and secrecy from Minister for Information and Communications Dr. Bikram Timilsina today.

After the swearing-in ceremony, Minister for Information and Communications Dr Timilsina directed the newly appointed Chairman Shrestha to work in a result-oriented manner for the regulation, management and improvement of the advertising sector. He said that the Board should play an effective role as per its rights and responsibilities to make the advertising sector systematic.

Minister for Communications and Information Technology Timilsina stressed the need to move ahead by preparing an action plan to further establish the need, relevance and acceptability of the Board.

He said that the present situation, problems, opportunities and possibilities of the Advertisement Board should be seriously reviewed and worked with a clear plan for improvement. Stating that the main challenge is the lack of effective implementation of the existing laws and regulations, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Dr. Timilsina said that the board should identify its weaknesses and make improvements. He also said that the distribution of public welfare advertisements should be made scientific, objective, transparent and lawful.

Referring to the context in which the Office of the Auditor General has been raising questions regarding transparency in the distribution of public welfare advertisements, he stressed the need of ensuring the transparent and effective use of public resources.

Newly-appointed Chairman Shrestha expressed his commitment to work by giving priority to the effective implementation of policies, acts and laws related to advertisement. He said that a new action plan would be prepared for the improvement of the advertising sector keeping good governance and easy service delivery to the citizens at the center. Newly appointed Chairman Shrestha expressed his commitment to work actively to make the regulation, management and operation of the advertisement sector effective.

Shrestha, who is also the former president of the Advertising Association of Nepal, has a long experience in the field of advertising and communication. He has also taught at educational institutions including King’s College and Don Bosco College in Kathmandu.