Poush 2, Kathmandu. The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) has submitted a detailed report to the government today on the extensive damage caused to media outlets across the country during the Genji movement on Bhadra 23, 2082 BS and the destruction that occurred on Bhadra 24.

According to the report compiled by the FNJ, 19 media organizations across the country have suffered financial losses worth around 599.3 million rupees during the movement and subsequent events. This loss has deeply hurt Nepal's media sector.

Similarly, according to the data collected through the FNJ's structure and provided to the FNJ by the media organizations that suffered losses, the personal properties and private vehicles of 38 people, including media entrepreneurs, media workers and media-related employees, have been completely destroyed due to arson. This alone has caused personal losses worth 178.4 million rupees.

Five journalists who were deployed to directly report on the events have been injured by shrapnel. Some of them have even lost their jobs due to treatment and unsafe conditions, which is a very sad and serious matter.

The damage suffered by the Nepali media sector from this incident cannot be measured solely in financial terms. Kantipur Daily and Television have lost important records, materials and historical documents that cannot be recovered even after paying billions of rupees, which has seriously affected press freedom and the right to information.

According to the details collected by the Federation so far, the country's media sector, including media organizations and the private property of media personnel, has suffered a total loss of 777 million rupees.

In this situation, the Federation of Nepali Journalists strongly demands from the Government of Nepal to provide relief for the repurchase of the damaged media personnel's private vehicles, to provide compensation by facilitating the government, and to bring a special relief package for journalists and media-related persons whose media outlets and private property have been damaged. It demands special relief for the injured journalists.

A detailed list of the related losses has been submitted to the Government Spokesperson, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagdish Kharel, and the Secretary of the Ministry, Radhika Aryal, today. The Federation delegation led by Federation President Nirmala Sharma had demanded that a special relief package be announced for the damaged media organizations and journalists.

Minister Kharel had expressed his commitment that the government was positive about providing relief to the damaged media organizations and journalists whose private vehicles were burnt. In a meeting with the Federation delegation, Secretary Aryal had said that the government and the ministry were serious about the problems faced by the media sector.