"The new policy is not to control the media rather to help the sector," said AMM Nasiruddin, acting secretary to information ministry, speaking at a seminar organised by Mass-line Media Centre, a non-governmental organisation.

He said the government is now examining the media policies of some neighbouring and developed countries to make an effective and suitable policy for Bangladesh.

The acting secretary pointed out that private satellite television channels are operating in the country without any specific policy. "There are many newspapers which are being published only to have government advertisements."

He also said the government would take opinions from individuals and groups involved in media before finalising any media policy.

Presenting the keynote at the seminar, Rizwan-ul-Alam, assistant communication officer of Unicef, Dhaka, said even after 33 years of Bangladesh's independence, there is no policy of development communication.

"Sometimes the government talks about objectivity of media but objectivity and the government cannot work together as they often clash each other," he told the seminar titled 'Development Communication: Problems and Prospects in Bangladesh.'

Afsan Chowdhury, director of advocacy unit, Brac, said development communication is a notion of the west. "Time has come to think whether development communication and information can work together according to the western notion."

Actor Ramendu Majumder said transmission cost of information relating to social development has to be reduced. "Electronic media in the country should create an opportunity so that social development advertisements can be broadcast on 50-70 percent commission," Ramendu Majumder suggested.

Presided over Dr Ahmed Kamal, a Dhaka University (DU) professor, the seminar was also addressed by Wolfgang Vollmann, country representative of Unesco, Prof Golam Rahman, chairperson of DU Mass Communication & Journalism department, Dr Subrata Shankar Dhar of the World Bank, Dhaka, Shahidullah Lipon of Chittagong University and Arifa S Sharmin of CARE, Bangladesh.