KATHMANDU: The government has appointed Santosh Shrestha as the Chairman of the Advertising Board.

Shrestha, a resident of Kathmandu Metropolitan City-14, has been appointed as the board’s chairman for a maximum of four years, as per the Cabinet decision on September 18.

The newly appointed chairman Shrestha took the oath of office and secrecy before the Minister of Information and Communications, Dr. Bikram Timilsina, today.

After the oath-taking programme at the Ministry, Minister Dr. Timilsina instructed the newly appointed chairman Shrestha to work in a results-oriented way to regulate, manage, and improve the advertising sector. He said that the board should play an effective role according to its rights and responsibilities to make the advertising sector better managed.

Communications Minister Dr. Timilsina emphasized that there is a need to move forward with an action plan that further establishes the necessity, rationale, and acceptability of the board. He mentioned that the current state of the advertising board, its problems, opportunities, and potential should be seriously reviewed and worked on with clear improvement plans.

Minister Timilsina on the occasion pointed out that the current major challenge is the ineffective implementation of existing laws and regulations, and that in this light the board needs to identify its weaknesses and make improvements.

He mentioned that it is necessary to make the distribution of public welfare advertisements scientific, objective, transparent, and lawful. Referring to the fact that the Office of the Auditor General has also raised questions about transparency in public welfare advertisement distribution, he emphasized the need to ensure the transparent and effective use of public resources.

Newly appointed chairman Shrestha expressed his commitment to working with a focus on effectively implementing policies, acts, and laws related to advertising. He said that he will move forward by developing a new action plan to improve the advertising sector, keeping good governance and easy service delivery for citizens at the centre.

The newly appointed chairman Shrestha also expressed his commitment to actively work towards making the regulation, management, and operation of the advertising sector more effective.

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