Kathmandu — The government’s decision to shut down unregistered social media platforms, including YouTube, has put the Federal Parliament’s live broadcast system in uncertainty.
Until now, both the House of Representatives and the National Assembly had been streaming their sessions live on YouTube, with an archive of past meetings also available on the platform. With the restriction in place, Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire has raised concerns about safeguarding both live telecasts and the video archive of parliamentary proceedings.
According to the Speaker’s press advisor Shekhar Adhikari, the Parliament Secretariat has already been instructed to look into alternative platforms to ensure smooth dissemination of information.
Parliament spokesperson Ekram Giri admitted that the sudden closure of YouTube has created immediate challenges. “So far, every live session was streamed on YouTube. Without it, we don’t have a ready alternative,” he said, adding that discussions have begun within the Secretariat to explore technical options.
The rules of the Federal Parliament mandate live broadcasting of parliamentary meetings, making the disruption a serious issue. Giri also noted that beyond live streaming, several committees had been relying on WhatsApp for internal communication, which will now need to be shifted to Viber — one of the few messaging apps formally registered in Nepal.
