KATHMANDU, Aug 27: The government has given a fresh seven-day ultimatum to social media platforms, including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), to register their operations in Nepal or face a ban.
A cabinet meeting held on Monday decided that platforms failing to register with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MoCIT) within the deadline will be gradually blocked across the country. The decision, in line with the “Social Media Use Management Directive, 2080 BS” and a Supreme Court order, aims to make social media operators more accountable and responsible.
The MoCIT will instruct the Nepal Telecommunications Authority to deactivate social media platforms that do not comply with the registration process. Platforms that register after being blocked will be reactivated immediately.
The government also made several key announcements during the cabinet meeting. Among them was the decision to declare 20 industrial villages, special economic zones, dry ports, petroleum pipelines, and private cable car projects as national priority projects.
Additionally, the government granted preliminary approval to conduct an organizational and management survey of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport along with its affiliated agencies.
The meeting further endorsed the participation of Nepali officials in international forums, including the Global Green Growth Institute in Seoul, the AP Forum in Fiji, and the 69th IAEA General Conference in Vienna.