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Tag: Government

  • Govt unlikely to set up media commission to check irregularities: Anurag Thakur

    Govt unlikely to set up media commission to check irregularities: Anurag Thakur

    The government is unlikely to set up a media commission that will facilitate checking the irregularities in print, electronic and digital platforms, the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur told Rajya Sabha while responding to a query raised in the Upper House of the Parliament on Thursday. 

    In its twenty-seventh report, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communication and Information Technology has recommended it. The committee proposed setting up a Media Council with statutory power in December 2021.

    “The government regularly holds consultations with stakeholders 

    and utilises data & information available from various sources for policy formulation, building strategies, etc. The setting up of a media commission is not considered necessary at present,” Thakur said in a written response to the parliament. 

    The parliamentary committee is headed by Senior Congress Leader Shashi Tharoor.

  • Govt blocks several social media handles circulating fake/inciting content

    Govt blocks several social media handles circulating fake/inciting content

    Mumbai: The government has blocked several social media handles for allegedly circulating “fake and inciting” content, said minister of state for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

    “Taskforce on safe and trusted internet at @GoI_MeitY at work. Handles that tried to push fake/inciting content on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, have been blocked,” tweeted Chandrasekhar on Saturday. 

    The minister said owners of such accounts are also being identified as per law, and the action taken by the platforms will also be scrutinised. According to media reports, the government has suspended as many as 73 Twitter handles, and four YouTube video posts.

    Last year in February, the government had notified Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT rules 2021) which came into effect on 26 May. The stringent rules were designed to make social media platforms accountable to end-users, and take down any offensive content following a complaint, and assist in investigations.

    The rules also recommend a three-tier mechanism for the regulation of all online media portals and publishers, over-the-top (OTT) platforms, and social media intermediaries. According to them, each significant social media company with over 50 lakh users is required to appoint a chief compliance officer, a nodal contact person for 24×7 coordination with law enforcement agencies, and a resident grievance officer. All three should be resident Indians and their details be put on the company’s website.

  • Sansad TV launched, PM Modi calls it a new chapter in India’s democratic system

    Sansad TV launched, PM Modi calls it a new chapter in India’s democratic system

    New Delhi: Prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched Sansad TV, highlighting it as another important chapter in India’s parliamentary system.

    The channel has been created by merging Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV and will be led by retired IAS officer Ravi Capoor who was appointed as the chief executive officer of the channel early this year.

    Launching it jointly with vice president M Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Modi said it is very important that the common man connects with Parliament and feels he is part of it. 

    Addressing the event, the PM lauded the transformation of the channel associated with the Parliament in accordance with rapidly changing times, especially when the 21st century is bringing revolution through dialogue and communication.  

    “While it is said that ‘content is king, but in my experience ‘Content is Connect’ said PM Modi, adding that, when one has better content, people automatically engage with it. As much as this applies to the media, it is equally applicable to our parliamentary system as there is not only politics in Parliament, there is also policy. He emphasised that common people should feel the connect with the proceedings of the Parliament. He asked the new channel to work in that direction.

    Terming the launch of Sansad TV as a “new chapter in the story of Indian democracy”, Modi said, the country is getting a medium of communication and dialogue in the form of Sansad TV which will become a new voice of the nation’s democracy and people’s representative.

    Sansad TV is likely to have two channels, with Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sessions telecast live on each. It will be available in Hindi and English.

    The two former entities, LS TV and RSTV were launched in 2006, and 2011 respectively. 

  • Bombay HC stays parts of new IT rules

    Bombay HC stays parts of new IT rules

    New Delhi: The Bombay high court has granted an interim stay to the implementation of parts of the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021 which require that all online publishers follow a “code of ethics” and norms of conduct.

    According to the court, “prima facie” (on the face of it), sub-clauses 1 and 3 of clause 9 of the Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules, 2021 violated the petitioners’ constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19. Provisions of clause 9 also went beyond the scope of the substantive law (the Information Technology Act of 2000), it added further, according to PTI.

    The court was hearing two petitions filed by digital news portal `The Leaflet’ and journalist Nikhil Wagle which had challenged the new regulations notified by the government in February this year. According to the petitions, the new rules are “vague”, “draconian”, and bound to have a “chilling effect” on the freedom of press and right to free speech guaranteed by the Constitution. The petitioners had also contended that the rules “go beyond the parameters set by the Information Technology Act and limits set under Article 19 of the Constitution”, and sought an interim stay on the implementation of the new IT Rules till the court gives its final decision in the matter.

    Meanwhile, the high court has refused to stay clause 14 that pertains to the setting up of an inter-ministerial committee with powers to regulate online content and deal with grievances and breach of rules, and clause 16 which is about blocking of online content in case of an emergency.

    The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 seek to regulate dissemination and publication of content in cyber space, including social media platforms. The rules notified in February, also recommend a three-tier mechanism for the regulation of all online media. Under the rules, the digital publishers are required to take urgent steps for appointing a grievance officer, if not done, and place all relevant details in the public domain. They also need to constitute self-regulatory bodies through mutual consultation so that the grievances are addressed at the level of publishers or the self-regulating bodies themselves.

    It is significant to note that similar petitions opposing the new rules have been filed in high courts across the country.

  • Bombay HC seeks government’s response over stay on IT media rules

    Bombay HC seeks government’s response over stay on IT media rules

    New Delhi: The Bombay high court has asked the central government to submit a response as to why an interim stay should not be given to the implementation of the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021, as demanded by two petitions.

    “File a short affidavit on why interim relief should not be granted,” the HC told the Union government, adjourning the hearing to 13 August.

    The court was hearing two petitions filed by digital news portal `The Leaflet’ and journalist Nikhil Wagle who had challenged the new regulations notified by the government in February this year. According to the petitions, the new rules are “vague”, “draconian”, and bound to have a “chilling effect” on the freedom of press and right to free speech guaranteed by the Constitution.

    The petitions had also contended that the rules “go beyond the parameters set by the Information Technology Act and limits set under Article 19 of the Constitution.”

    It is significant to note that similar petitions opposing the new rules have been filed in high courts across the country. The government has been asked to submit its response by 13 August.

    In a separate case, the government told the Delhi high court on Tuesday, that Twitter was prima facie in compliance with the new IT Rules by appointing a chief compliance officer (CCO), resident grievance officer (RGO) and nodal contact person on permanent basis.

    The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 seek to regulate dissemination and publication of content in cyber space, including social media platforms.

    The rules also recommend a three-tier mechanism for the regulation of all online media. Under the rules, the digital publishers are required to take urgent steps for appointing a grievance officer, if not done, and place all relevant details in the public domain. They also need to constitute self-regulatory bodies through mutual consultation so that the grievances are addressed at the level of publishers or the self-regulating bodies themselves.

  • Big Cabinet Reshuffle: Prakash Javadekar steps down as I&B minister

    Big Cabinet Reshuffle: Prakash Javadekar steps down as I&B minister

    New Delhi: Prakash Javadekar has stepped down as the union minister of information and broadcasting, here on Wednesday. The decision is part of one of the biggest cabinet reshuffles during the second term of PM Narendra Modi-led government.

    Apart from Javadekar, Ravi Shankar Prasad who held the portfolio of the ministry of electronics and information technology (meity) also submitted his resignation along with ten other ministers. The list also included the union minister of health and family welfare Harsh Vardhan. Javadekar also held charge for the ministry of environment, forest, and climate change.

    Later in the evening, as many as 43 new ministers took oath at Rashtrapati Bhawan, however, the new portfolios are yet to be announced. A total of 15 individuals were sworn in as ministers in the Union Cabinet and another 28 as ministers of state (MoS). The cabinet has now grown in strength from 54 to 78 ministers which include several new names, and representation from states like Karnataka, Rajasthan, and north-eastern states.

    There are 11 women in the new cabinet. Nisith Pramanik (35), the Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal’s Cooch Behar, is the youngest minister to be sworn in, while the oldest member in the council of ministers is 72-year-old Som Parkash. There are 78 members in the council of ministers now.

  • MHA asks TN government to revoke its order allowing cinema halls to operate with 100% capacity

    MHA asks TN government to revoke its order allowing cinema halls to operate with 100% capacity

    New Delhi: The union ministry of home affairs (MHA) has asked the TN government to withdraw its order allowing the theatre and cinema halls to operate at 100 per cent capacity. MHA has clearly stated that it is a dilution of its order around theatre and multiplex capacities. The TN government issued the order two days.

    According to the letter from union home secretary Ajay Bhalla to chief secretary of Tamil Nadu Shanmugam, capacities in theatres and multiplexes outside containment zones is set at 50 per cent. “The government of Tamil Nadu, however, has permitted to increase the seating capacity of cinemas theatres multiplexes from existing 50 per cent capacity to 100 per cent by following the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).”

    “This amounts to dilution of MHA order dated December 28, 2020 issued under the DM Act, 2005,” the letter states.

    The union home secretary tells the Tamil Nadu government to immediately issue an order to bring the state’s order in line with the MHA guidelines. 

    The union government also instructed the state and union territories to strictly enforce the guidelines without diluting them: “strict compliance of Covid2019 -appropriate behaviour such as wearing masks, keeping social distancing, stern action against those who are violating guidelines SOPs regulation of gatherings,” he said.

    As per an order in October 2020, MHA permitted the theatres to partially reopen as part of the Unlock guidelines with clear SOPs. Theatres were only permitted to reopen with 50 per cent seating capacity outside containment zones. 

    Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami gave the nod to permit 100 per cent seating capacity in theaters after actor Vijay met the leader at his residence. Actor Silambarasan also requested the chief minister to allow 100 per cent seating capacity in theaters across the state ahead of the Pongal season. Actor Vijay’s film Master and actor Silambarasan’s movie Eeswaran are both slated for release during Pongal. 

  • Indian media not muzzled: BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli

    Indian media not muzzled: BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli

    NEW DELHI: Amidst the huge chatter of Indian media being biased and muzzled, BJP national spokesperson and Supreme Court advocate Nalin Kohli has claimed that the country has a robust media otherwise no channel or outlet would be running anti-BJP and anti-Modi stories. He was in a live webcast with Governance Now MD Kailashnath Adhikari during the Visionary Talk series held by the public policy and governance analysis platform. 

    Calling media as an important and fourth pillar of democracy the BJP senior leader said that media is free and vibrant in India what you see on social media is demonstrative of the right to freedom of speech. He refuted the charges that the media is muzzled and said that that media has been muzzled only once during emergencies. “Everybody remembers those days.”

    “If media was really muzzled then how are people using media to abuse prime minister, Narendra Modi and BJP government so openly and freely. I believe and am convinced that media is independent” said Kohli.  

    Kohli blaming the opposition for manufacturing issues and blaming the BJP government for stifling freedom of speech and said that it is a charge leveled against the BJP government without any foundation. “As the opposition, they have a right to manufacture issues. Unfortunately, issues are manufactured without foundation” he said.

    While responding to a question on how the government will regularize social media content, Kohli, who has also been convener of BJP’s national media cell said there is the issue of territorial jurisdiction when it comes to social media. He reiterated that that freedom of speech is an extremely valuable fundamental right under Article 19 of the Constitution but also puts reasonable restrictions on that freedom. He said that nothing can be beyond the constitutional framework and the best way is to self-regulate.

     “There is always a way to express yourself with civility and you cannot threaten anyone. To threaten a lady or her daughters with rape, obscenity, and abusive language is a reflection of an individual’s own self. If we forget to be civil, how can we have civilization” he asked.    

    “Freedom of speech does not mean curtailing other persons freedom by fear…because after Article 21 provides for life and liberty. If a person feels intimidated or stalked or threatened because of the exercise of freedom of speech of someone else that too needs to be reviewed.  We are reaching a point where these issues are being discussed. Perhaps they will be debated and over a period of time…some kind of framework may come, maybe self-regulation by the platform whether it would require a court to intervene, laws to come in…that’s a much larger debate’’ said Kohli.

  • Advertising veteran Sam Balsara demands stimulus package from government

    Advertising veteran Sam Balsara demands stimulus package from government

    NEW DELHI:  Lamenting the lack of support from Indian government, and Madison Communications founder and CMD Sam Balsara demanded a stimulus package for the advertising industry. He was speaking to Governance Now MD Kailashnath Adhikari on ‘Impact of Covid-19 on media and entertainment industry and the role of governance in the media sector’. 

    Balsara said, “The government needs to provide a stimulus package to the advertising industry and push consumer demand. Perhaps they think if they gave a concession to advertising, then it would be considered a concession to the sector itself. It is not a concession; it is a stimulus package to revive demand and that is how it should be seen by the government and positioned and not as a sop to the media industry." 

    He shared that the advertising industry has faced an overall steep drop of almost 75 per cent in the first quarter of the FY 2020-2021 adding that in April it was about 95 per cent, improved slightly in May, and recovered well in June, especially in the TV and digital media. 

    “Print, radio outdoor and cinema are totally in the dumps and will only see some semblance by Diwali provided the govt allows suburban railways in metros and majority offices open. The industry was expecting TV to recover 80%-90% of last year’s levels in Q2 of the FY,” he said.

    He also said that work from home is a huge setback to the economy as it could work well for individuals and companies but not create consumer demand. "When advertising is widely recognized as the engine for a large number of consumer companies and drives demand in its absence the economy goes into a downward cycle. To spin out of this de-growth and perk up, a massive dose of advertising is required in July August, September."

    Balsara also came down heavily on Indian news channels and said that he is disappointed at what they repetitively put out and have to break out of the current rhythm of content. He was referring to the daily headlines of highest no of Covid2019 cases and deaths being reported by news channels which he said look as identical every day as they did four months ago. 

    “There are many opportunities for news channels to innovate, be more humane, and capitalise news intake intelligently. But repetitive news content is bringing the viewership down. When in the first week of lockdown viewership of news channels had shot up 300 per cent today it has come down to February levels," said Balsara. 

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  • OTT content comes under govt scanner

    OTT content comes under govt scanner

    MUMBAI: OTT platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video might face a censorship threat in India. Recently a senior government source told Reuters that the government might impose censorship on streaming platforms.

    The government official, who has direct knowledge of the deliberations was quoted by Reuters as saying, “The government's concern has been sparked by several court cases and complaints filed to the police in recent months, alleging that some content was obscene or insulted religious sentiment.”

    The government official also raised concern on OTT platforms not carrying the mandatory anti-tobacco textual warnings on smoking scenes in Bollywood movies.

    As per the earlier report, MIB’s secretary said that there is a need to rethink regulating OTT platform due the voice raised by certain sections of the society but the ministry does not have any plan to impose any regulation yet.