Save Nepal media campaign

Be aware of these two "media captains"

Himalmedia

Himalmedia, established in 1998, has five founders – Ambika Shrestha chairperson and Kanak Mani Dixit, Kunda Dixit, Rajiv Raj Bhandari and Sajib Raj Bhandari directors. The three publications of Himalmedia – Himal Khabarpatrika, Nepali Times and Wave — are being published under the involvement and direction of Kunda Dixit and Kanak Mani Dixit, who are brothers by blood relation and journalists by profession.

While Kanak is the publisher and editor of Himal Khabarpatrika, Kunda is the publisher and editor of Nepali Times and Wave.

Himal Khabarpatrika covers politics, economic sector and other areas, Nepali Times is targeted diplomatic crop and Wave covers youth and entertainment.

Besides serving public, all the three publications are being published to aid their own other businesses and are making good profits alone from advertisement with Rs 50 million standing profit every year. However, the expense is only around Rs 30 million. High prices of the three newspapers have also been significantly contributing to the company.

Listed as "Number 1" three years ago, Himal Khabarpatrika is ranked at Number 2 on circulation basis and Number 3 on news content's basis. But the Dixit brothers, on the pretext of incurring losses, have been collecting grants from several donor organizations.

On various occasions and pretexts, they have also been collecting around Rs 10 million from the government.

Similarly, threatening businessmen of publishing negative news, some Rs 50 million have been amassed. On the other hand, some businessmen provide advertisement on the condition of not publishing their news.

The Dixit brothers are active being wolf in sheep's clothing, but the other partners stay mum.

The list of their malpractice continues. They also gain various benefits from I/NGOs on the banner of Himalmedia.

The Dixit brothers, who also claim themselves the leaders of civil society, have sowed a seed of dispute between Dr. Devendra Raj Pandey and Krishna Pahadi. It is due to their ill act, Pandey has to cut off relation with Pahadi.

Himal South Asia has also become a breeding ground for them to launch sordid acts of gaining advantage illegally.

Himalmedia at present:

Ever since the inception of the company, employees have been working permanently at Himalmedia. However, suddenly Dixit brothers introduced new system and made staffers work on contract. This gave them a ground to treat workers as servants and lead a life of landlords. On numerous occasions, they sacked workers and hired new ones. 

Without serving their interest, no worker could be their employee. Evident is the case of editors. No editor was employed for more than a year. However, Rajendra Dahal's case was exceptional. This is because Dahal was their family brother-in-law, so he was able to work for more than a year.

Time-bound salary and facility were a far cry for workers. Those staffers, recruited on 5000-7000 salary per month five years ago are still drawing the same scale. Repeated pleas of workers to hike salary and facility fell on the Dixit brothers' deaf ears. In this way, fours years went down the drain.

Irked workers, hoping for bright fate, established a non-political union for their welfare.  However, the Dixit brothers shattered their dreams when they refused to meet them recently after the union was established. The workers got a shot in the arms after Ashutosh Tiwari, who was later nominated as the Chief Executive Officer, pledged to fulfill their genuine demands. He assured to act on the commitment with in a month.

However, even though a year passed, the demands were gathering dust. Worst, the Dixit brothers did not even hand over the permanent letters to working journalists and other staffs. This proves that the Dixit brothers always cultivate false promises. 

Media Workers' Alliance

Baneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal

mediaworkeralliance@gmail.com

 

 

The news on Himalmedia published on various newspapers:

"We will close the company if we were to add facility to workers and made their status permanent."

n  Saghu weekly, Shrawan 20, 2065

 

Resignation of 16 journalists and employees sought on the ground of Rs 10 million losses. Threatened to publish names with photos if failed to put in papers.

n  Saghu weekly, Bhadra 2, 2065

 

35 employees ousted ahead of Dashain.

n  Saghu weekly Bhadra 9, 2065

 

Trade unions flay Himalmedia's unilateral act to sack employees flouting the Working Journalists' Act

n  Janaastha weekly, Bhadra 18, 2065

                   

Maoist union declares to interfere in Himalmedia against the management's act of ousting workers violating the Working Journalists' Act and Labour Act.

n  Saghu weekly, Aswoj 13, 2065

                               

Himal Khabarpatrika Editor is going to be sacked after Kanak Mani Dixit's seat in the Constituent Assembly from the CPN-UML was not guaranteed

n  Saghu weekly, Aswoj 6, 2065

 

Sacking workers by Himalmedia ahead of Dashain agitates trade unions, demand immediate reinstatement

n  Gorkhapara daily, Aswoj 18, 2065

 

Federation of Nepali Journalists flays the Himalmedia management's act of torturing journalists and employees. FJN General Secretary Poshan KC demanded the government punish the management if failed to act as per the Working Journalists' Act

n  Janadisha daily, Aswoj 15, 2065

 

Trade unions, civil society, rights activists urge Himalmedia not to sack 16 workers, working at its customers section

n  Naya Bimarsha weekly, Kartik 8, 2065

 

Himalmedia announces vacancy immediately after sacking three dozen employees on loss ground.

n  Saghu weekly, Kartik 11, 2065

 

 

 

The Information Department directs Himalmedia to reinstate the sacked employees and issues a show case notice for announcing fresh recruitments

n  Saghu weekly, Kartik 25, 2065

 

Government summons Himalmedia to prove whether the company is at loss

n  Budhabar weekly, Kartik 27, 2065

 

Government directs Himalmedia management to present before the Information Department along with its audit report

n  Roadmap weekly, Kartik 28, 2065

Himalmedia is trying to present fake audit report after the government summoned its management

n  Sambodhan / Naya Bimarsha weekly, Kartik 29, 2065

 

The Labour and Information departments put stamp on decision of civil society leaders Kanak Mani Dixit and Kunda Dixit to sack employees flouting the Working Journalists' Act and Labour Act

n  Dishanirdesh weekly, Mangsir 1, 2065'

 

Trade union flays act of torching Himal Khabarpatrika copies, slams management's act of accusing the union workers of their involvement in the incident, urges media not to publish such fake news

n  Kantipur daily, Mangsir 4, 2065

                       

The so-called Himalmedia's claim that its copies were torched by masked men is doubtful. The management claimed that 5,000 copies were burnt down, however only 1,000 copies were found torched.

·         Budhabar weekly, Mangsir 11, 2065

 

Our concern has been drawn towards the Himalmedia's claim that the sacked employees had torched its copies. The rigidness of Kanak Mani Dixit and Kunda Dixit over the formation of union in the company has also raised our concern. All can exercise the constitutional-guaranteed right to open and run trade union. So they are merely trying to violate press freedom by themselves.

·         Janadharana weekly, Mangsir 12, 2065

 

Employees at Himalmedia are trying to open a union. However, the management is learnt to have trying its every bit to crush their attempt.

·         The Himalayan Times daily, November 28, 2008

 

The Media Marketing Association has flayed the Himalmedia's act of sacking its two staffers without any reason.

·         Kantipur daily, Mangsir 15, 2065

 

The Information has directed the Himalmedia management to reinstate the sacked 16 employees in its sales department.

·         The notice sent by the Information Department to Himalmedia management on Mangsir 16, 2065

 

According to a reliable source, the following organizations were found assisting Himalmedia directly or indirectly in various ways.

They are follows:

1. Action Aid Nepal
2. Action Contre laFaim (Campaign Against Hungers)
3. ADRA/Nepal
4. APEIRON
5. Association of Volunteers Without  Frontiers/AVSF
6. BNMT
7. CARE Nepal
8. CECI
9. CEDPA
10. Centro Cooperation Sviluppo/CCS
11. Child Protection Centers and Services/CPCS
12. Child Welfare Scheme
13. Child Fund Japan
14. CONCERN WORLDWIDE
15. Danish Forestry Extension C/o Nepal Agro forestry Foundation
16. Eco Himal
17. Educate The Children
18. Family Health International (FHI)
19. Fida International
20. German Nepalese Help Association
21. Group for Trans cultural/GRT
22. Habitat for Humanity International
23. HANDICAP International
24. Heifer Project International
25. Helen Keller International
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