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Tag: I&B ministry

  • Centre’s opinion sought on YouTube uploads; notice issued on AIB case

    Centre’s opinion sought on YouTube uploads; notice issued on AIB case

    NEW DELHI: The Bombay High Court has asked the Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s opinion on the screening mechanism of YouTube uploads.

     

    This followed a public interest litigation (PIL) against the AIB Roast programme by law professor Sharmila Ghuge, who sought guidelines for a screening mechanism to keep a check on obscene and vulgar videos uploaded on YouTube.

     

    AIB (All India Bakchod) filed an intervention application in the matter. “We oppose this petition. It was a humorous show for a private audience. None of the private audience found it offensive. The language was excessive, but within the bounds of humour,” AIB’s senior counsel Mahesh Jethmalani told the division bench of Justices V.M. Kanade and Revati Mohite Dere.

     

    The court admitted the intervention plea. AIB will file a reply, if any, to the petition within the next two weeks. The Union of India too has been directed to file its opinion within two weeks. The court will hear the matter next on 3 March.

     

    Along with the PIL, the petitioner also submitted a copy of the CD about the programme, which was conducted in Mumbai in December last year. Its videos were uploaded on YouTube later. The petitioner also transcribed the excerpts of the show, and told the court that the content was objectionable.

     

    When the court said that only those who are defamed can file a defamation suit, Ghuge’s advocate Shyam Dewane said, “This (programme) has crossed the limits of morality. The language used is such that it crosses the limit of decency. It is obscene to the core, and it particularly affects the minds of the youths.”

     

    In the PIL, Ghuge said, “Whereas, the film stars have made a deliberate attempt to lower the dignity of women by showing their insensitive attitude towards the most heinous crime of rape by passing several jokes on rape and gang rape enjoying the flavour of humour for the most unfortunate act any women can ever face in her life. Not only this, cracking jokes on gays, race, rape, ebola and making homophobic jokes is an absolute insult to not only to women but all the individuals.”

     

    She has said such remarks will adversely affect the youth of the country. “That such a rapid augmentation of audience to this video is unquestionably aiming to adversely affect the youth of this nation. Particularly the sway and influence of these film stars is beyond imagination on the youth. These celebrities are youth icons and the young generation blindly follows them which indeed is misleading and disgraceful for the nation in such incidences.”

     

    Dewane said there was need for a mechanism to filter out vulgar and obscene videos from YouTube. The court thereafter sought Union government’s say on the matter.

     

    “That the video of the AIB show, which has been uploaded on 28 January, 2015 has not been verified by any of the authorities, whether the content of the video is suitable to be thrown open to public at large. The said video has been uploaded by the organisers of the AIB show as evident from the titles of the video. Neither the organisers nor the respondents felt the need and importance of verifying the content before putting the video on air, which needless to state has gone viral amongst people, more particularly youths,” the PIL has stated. 

  • Technological touch points leading to convergence in media: Jaitley

    Technological touch points leading to convergence in media: Jaitley

    NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley has said that the future belonged to digital media due to its reach, scale, variety and accessibility as technology influenced change in the communication landscape.

     

    The technological thrust also impacted the nature of information dissemination in view of changes taking place globally across platforms. These rapid changes had led to a convergence of technological touch points in the media space, impacting the nature and flow of information dissemination.

     
    Jaitley said the nature and character of news dissemination had undergone change due to the challenges thrown by 24×7 television consistently. The camera today had become the prime mover for defining content and setting the agenda, thereby impacting the flow of news.

     

    The remarks were made while inaugurating the workshop on ‘Streamlining Government Communication’ organised by Press Information Bureau under the aegis of the Ministry here.

     

    On the relevance and importance of government communication in the changed communication paradigm, Jaitley said the environment today offered a tremendous opportunity to stakeholders within the government to disseminate credible, factual, relevant and reader friendly information. A large constituency even today existed which required authentic and credible information from the government. The Minister called upon the participants to package data, facts and information keeping in mind contemporary tools and trends, media requirements and content for opinion makers and analysts in the media space.

     

    Regarding the packaging of Government information, the Minister emphasized that Government Departments needed to optimally utilize their websites to place accurate and credible information. The website platforms were an important medium to address concerns of stakeholders who required information related to the policies and initiatives of the Government. The content of the website needed to be in a language which was easy to read and understand. Each Ministry also needed to cultivate the mechanism of reaching out to those stakeholders who constituted the wider assembly of people including representatives of the people/civil society, etc.

     

    Jaitley also referred to the need to utilize different tools available in the social media space i.e. Twitter, Blog, Facebook to enhance the reach of Government communication. During the course of the address, the Minister also mentioned that the media needed to take a comprehensive view of the decision making process while highlighting the decisions taken by the Government. In his remarks to the participants, Minister of State Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said the current communication perspective was driven by speed, accuracy, brevity and clarity of thought. It was imperative to utilize new tools of communication for enhancing outreach to a wide range of stakeholders. Perception management had also become a critical tool in the communication paradigm and needed to be addressed in totality.

     

    In his opening remarks, I&B secretary Bimal Julka gave an overview of the efforts being made by the Ministry of I&B to position the communication approaches of the Government. Julka outlined the key initiatives undertaken by the Ministry to address the new challenges in the context of adopting a 360 degree approach, integrated media planning and initiatives undertaken in the social media space. Julka also outlined the specific initiatives undertaken for Swachh Bharat Mission, Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and PM’s Jan Dhan Yojana along with efforts of the Ministry in addressing the crisis situation. Emphasizing the need of integrating the IEC component within proposals for consideration/approval, secretary called upon the participants to formulate the Cabinet proposals wherein the IEC component was an inbuilt part of the said proposal. This would enhance the communication efforts and address the budgetary requirements.

     

    In his welcome address, PIB director general (Media and Communications) Frank Noronha referred to the critical role being played by PIB in view of the paradigm shift in the media space and the needs and requirement of stakeholders. He also highlighted the need for synergy among various Ministries/Departments for better outreach of Government policies/programmes.

     

    The one day Workshop discussed various perspectives/issues on Changing Media Scenario viz Emergences of Social Media, Communication of Financial Policy of the Government to Regional Media’, and ‘PMO Perspectives on Media Communication among others through Technical Sessions, Panel Discussions, Open-house Discussions, Question & Answer Sessions, etc. The Workshop is being attended by officers of the level of Joint Secretary and above along with Private Secretaries to Ministers from various Ministries and Departments. The Workshop aims to integrate the enhanced role of Government communication through various media platforms.  

     

    Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth said in the new communication environment, there was a need to integrate and synergise government efforts in a professional and calibrated manner. This was critical in view of the change in the mode, nature and content of communication. The need of the hour was to device modalities to deliver services and access to information. This would enable the government to engage with citizens and receive feedback. Ministries and departments need to be geared up to address the challenges of information dissemination especially in the social media space. There was a need to put in place strategies to utilise social media as a tool to interact with the people.

     

    Seth added that in the recent past, efforts had been made to mainstream communication in addressing disaster and emergency situations as there is a dearth of information in such situations. The challenge was also in view of the different communication requirements of concerned stakeholders and recipients. The officers of Press Information Bureau need to be empowered and given timely information.

     

    Elaborating, the Cabinet Secretary mentioned that in view of the recent initiatives of the government such as “Digital India”, the crowdsourcing method had been adopted. This in turn reiterated the need to have a strategy for addressing issues in totality. In view of the framework adopted for the current workshop, states should be encouraged to organise such workshops on a similar pattern.

     

    Inviting suggestions for the forthcoming Civil Services Day on how to equip civil servants professionally in order to discharge their responsibilities better, he mentioned that one of the areas for discussions could be enhancing the ability of civil servants to communicate.

  • DD Kisan set for launch on Baisakhi

    DD Kisan set for launch on Baisakhi

    NEW DELHI: The launch of the 24-hour channel devoted to farmers and rural India – DD Kisan – has been pushed back by three months to Baisakhi Day on 14 April as Doordarshan has still to complete all the formalities relating to staff and programme. 

     

    The channel was earlier slated to launch on Makar Sankranti on 14 January but Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley has now been assured that all arrangements would be completed by mid-April. 

     

    As per information available with Indiantelevision.com, the assurance was given in Jaitley’s customary morning meeting with senior officials of his Ministry as well as Prasar Bharati. 

     

    Jaitley sought full details of the work done on the channel, for which he had set aside Rs 100 crore in the Budget in his capacity as Finance Minister. However, the budget for I&B Ministry shows an allocation of Rs 90 crore for the same in the year 2014-15.

     

    DD sources told Indiantelevision.com that the Minister had been assured that all preparations would be completed by mid-April. It was also stated that 14 April is a very important day for farmers as it marks the start of the sowing season.

     

    Apart from Jaitley and Miniser of State Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, I&B secretary Bimal Julka, Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar and senior DD officials were present in the meeting held earlier this week. 

     

    Noting that the proposed Doordarshan Kisan is a dedicated channel for the farmers to give them information targeted to address the wholesome edutainment needs of a farmer to adopt and adapt to modern scenario, the national broadcaster had in early December invited proposals for programmes under the Self Financing Commissioned (SFC) Scheme. 

     

    DD sources said that the content expected for DD Kisan will primarily address the developmental needs of the farmer addressing ‘Core Agriculture’, ‘Critical Support’ and ‘Essential Ancillary’ areas, keeping in mind the varied Agro-Economic Zones, Climatic Areas, Different Crops and the need to address the target audience spread across various states but will have to be entertaining and engaging. 

     

    The content on DD Kisan will be in Hindi with regional dubbing. 

     

    The genres for which it invited proposals were: Documentaries/Features (Field Based); Magazines/Docu Dramas (Field Based); Cookery Shows/Biographies; Daily Soap/Fiction Serials/Family Serials/Thrillers; film song based programmes; Reality Shows/Game Shows; and Mandi Bhav/Bazar Bhav/Agro Based Bulletins.

     

    In addition, DD Kisan will have a new segment for iconic characters plus content packaging where animation characters will convey the agricultural themes and desired messaging. It is expected that the participants under this category will also provide layouts of the channel’s packaging. 

     

    The channel will also have a segment for edited feature films where the entire film is expected to be capsuled with anchor based presentation for 60 minutes. 

     

    In the Bazar Bhav/ Mandi Bhav segments, updates from the mandis including the template will be required to be provided, which will give the core audiences suitable direction and help in the agricultural activity. 

     

    Ministry sources highlighted Prasar Bharati’s plan to take inputs from different Agricultural Universities and Institutes to develop rich content for the channel. 

     

    DD is hoping to engage people in the fields of production as well as marketing in positions ranging from senior to mid to junior level. 

     

    There are a total of 67 vacant posts of post production professionals, visual graphics designer, record keeper, senior videographer, junior videographer, senior production executive, production executive, senior creative editor, creative editor, senior presenter, presenter, copy editor–cum-writer, programme trainees, head- sales & marketing, and senior sales & marketing executive.

     

    Other steps being taken by Prasar Bharati for this channel include: production of in-house and outsourced content; liason with relevant ministries to get inputs for channel content and for which advertisements will be issued; calculation of budget and expenditure for the channel; crowd sourcing for channel name, logo, jingles etc; issue of advertisement for channel packaging and branding along with look and feel and montage.

     

    A consultation meeting has been held with various educational institutes for a rich content and to create a ‘Resource Persons Group’ and this would be a continuous process.

     

    Meanwhile, the Krishi Darshan programmes of Doordarshan are being telecast under the “Mass Media Support to Agriculture Extension” funded by the Agriculture Ministry focusing on dissemination of modern agricultural techniques by involving experts from various fields like insurance, banking, credit for farmers, State Government schemes on agriculture/ fisheries/veterinary science/water and soil conservation/social forestry etc.

     

    In addition, a programme Mera Gaon Connection telecast at prime time on DD National also introduces modern agricultural techniques to the viewers.  

     

    The mass media support to agricultural extension and focused publicity campaigns has been strengthened to reach out to all farmers including small and marginal. 

  • Prasar Bharati to MIB: No plans to stop commissioning of programmes

    Prasar Bharati to MIB: No plans to stop commissioning of programmes

    NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati has assured the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) that there are no plans to stop commissioning of programmes by Doordarshan.

     

    However, a Doordarshan source told Indiantelevision.com that the commission has taken on a new form. It is now a Self Financed Commissioning in the sense that the producer makes the series at his or her own cost initially after getting it cleared from DD and then later gets the costs reimbursed.

     

    DD has decided to procure content through various notified schemes such as Self Finance Commissioning (SFC), Revenue Sharing Mode (RSM) for producers/simulcast, and Advertisement Funded Programme (AFP). The Revenue Sharing Scheme (Producers/Simulcast) also allows Doordarshan to collaborate with some private channels for sourcing some high quality software in the simulcast mode content on favourable terms.

     

    Proposals have been invited for DD National Network and for the upcoming DD Kisan channels under the SFC scheme. Doordarshan is directly selling airtime to agencies and clients in the media market.

     

    Prasar Bharati is an autonomous body not owned by the state but does receive Government support in the form of grants-in-aid. Its objectives as Public Service Broadcaster are not directed towards profits but towards reaching out to all sections of society in all corners of the country, the question of losses/profits does not arise.

     

    The source said it was the constant endeavour of DD to improve upon its programmes by reviewing the content and quality from time to time with the view to sustain the interest of the viewers.

  • I&B Ministry gives clearance to five new channels; private TV channels increase to 826

    I&B Ministry gives clearance to five new channels; private TV channels increase to 826

    NEW DELHI: The number of permitted satellite television channels has gone up marginally to 826 with five new channels getting cleared during December 2014.

     

    The number of channels in November-end was 821 as compared to 798 in July following streamlining of clearance procedures by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

     

    The cleared channels include one news channel taking the total to 405 news and current affairs channels and four non-news channels taking the total to 421 general entertainment channels.

     

    The statistics show that 697 channels (including 382 news channels) are permitted to uplink and downlink from within the country, and 36 (including seven news channels) are uplinked from India for beaming overseas and not in the country. There is no change in channels uplinked from overseas and downlinked into India with the number remaining static at 93 (including 16 news channels). 

     

    The new entrants were: R-Vision (a non-news channel in all Indian languages) and Krishna Showbiz Services’ three channels – Dilagiri, Tak Dhina Din and Maula Masth (Hindi non-news channels for uplinking and downlinking). The Arabia news channel in Malayalam is the sole channel for uplinking only.

                                                           

    The largest gainer is Krishna Showbiz Services Pvt Ltd, which gets three Hindi GEC channels. The year 2014 has thus seen the clearance to more than 30 channels.

     

    To expedite the process, which had remained stagnant after March-end, the Ministry now holds the Open House meetings with stakeholders two time every month instead of once.

  • Lemon News warned for airing programme promoting superstition & blind belief

    Lemon News warned for airing programme promoting superstition & blind belief

    NEW DELHI: Lemon TV has been warned by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for telecasting a programme ‘Khauf ke 10 Destinations’ on 11 December, 2013 referring to 10 places in Mumbai, which it claimed are haunted and where there was dominance of evil spirits and invisible powers.

     

    The Inter-Ministerial Committee, which had received a reply to its show-cause notice and even heard channel representatives in October last year said ‘strict compliance’ may be ensured by Lemon News TV Channel. 

     

    Any further violation shall entail such action against Lemon News TV channel as deemed fit in accordance with the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act, 1995 and the Rules framed thereunder as also the terms and conditions of the permission/approval granted under uplinking/downlinking, the MIB said.

     

    The channel, in its reply to the show-cause notice, said it had not only clarified in the programme that it did not believe in such superstitions, but had interviewed people who said these stories related to the past. When asked to appear before the IMC, the channel representatives had tendered an apology.

     

    However, the IMC said the channel presented the so-called incidents in an overtly sensational manner thereby appearing to instill superstition in the minds of viewers. It was noted by IMC that the channel created horrifying sound effects and also created images of ghost during the telecast of this programme giving the whole programme a horrendous look.

     

    The IMC thus observed that the telecast of the programme seemed to promote blind belief and superstition and there was clear violation of the provisions of the programme code, particularly Rules 6(1)(a), 6(1) (i) and 6(1) (o).

     

    The IMC noted that even though the channel had apologized for the lapse, it could not escape the responsibility of ensuring content on their channel, which must be in conformity with the programme code at all times.

     

    Lemon TV had shown a number of stories connected with evil spirits and also telecast bytes of local people who seem to have experienced these incidents. The reporting appeared to be intended to generate fear, anxiety and phobia in the minds of the viewers. Telecasting such programme in a news channel appeared to sensationalise  with little news value. This programme appeared to offend good taste and decency, encourages superstition or blind belief as also, the programme did not appear suitable for unrestricted public exhibition, the IMC said.

     

  • Channels asked to cover Republic Day with sign language interpretation from DD News

    Channels asked to cover Republic Day with sign language interpretation from DD News

    NEW DELHI: Private television channels, which normally re-transmit the signals of Doordarshan relating to the Republic Day Parade, have been asked to carry the sign language interpretation following a demand by the hearing impaired.

     

    DD News always telecasts the Parade with simultaneous sign language interpretation.

       

    The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in an advisory that it had received the request from the hearing impaired to ‘help them connect meaningfully with this important National Day.’

     

    As in previous years, DD will provide this feed free of cost to private channels.

     

    The Ministry noted, “Whereas the media has always been in the forefront of taking up important issues covering national integration, the progress of disadvantaged sections of the society etc. would be another step in the right direction by media to facilitate access to the Parade commentary to differently abled people. It is in this spirit that all TV channels interested in carrying the live telecast of the Republic Day Parade with commentary are advised to carry the signals of DD News with sign language interpretation.”

     

  • Major initiatives of the I&B Ministry in 2014

    Major initiatives of the I&B Ministry in 2014

    The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) has undertaken key initiatives in the different sectors aimed at enhancing the outreach of policies and programmes across platforms. Some of the initiatives undertaken have been innovative, involving people’s participation, enhancing government’s presence on the social media platforms and strengthening communication at the grassroots. Some of the key initiatives are as under:

     

    Initiatives under Swachh Bharat Mission

    As part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the Ministry initiated a 360 degree multimedia campaign to enhance the outreach and impact of the Mission. All media units were involved in outlining audience specific content, tools and action plan. Intensive discussions were held with key stakeholders of the mission and innovative strategies were incorporated across media platforms for greater visibility and impact. Some of the key initiatives undertaken by the Ministry are as follows:
     

    Three Day Rashtriya Bal Film Mela on the theme “Swachhta”

    Organized by the Children’s Film Society of India (CSFI) on the occasion of National Children’s Day celebrations, the three day festival provided an opportunity for children to appreciate high-quality film content, experience value-based entertainment, and to trigger their imagination about environment conservation and cleanliness. The festival showcased a bunch of internationally acclaimed children’s films on the theme of cleanliness.

    The Festival featured interactive workshops on film-making, film appreciation, animation, Charlie Chaplin’s Mimes and storytelling. Live dance performances, magic act, sand act, and puppetry along with various competitions such as painting on the theme, ‘Swachhta’, and digital collage on the theme ‘Clean India’ and the craft of making utility items from waste materials, were being organized on the sidelines of the festival.

     

    1. Creation of Audio-Visual Spots on Swachh Bharat Mission.
    2. Animation / short video competition (less than three minute duration) organized on the digital volunteer platform of the Ministry with 15 October as deadline.
    3. Launch of Photo-Competition depicting “before and after pictures of cleanliness” on the digital volunteer platform with 15 October as deadline.
    4. Creation of an animation film by New Media Wing
    5. Crowd sourcing for the design of print advertisements
    6. Developing platform specific content on social media
    7. Creation of banners, logos and e-mailers for spreading of the message through social media
    8. Jingles on All India Radio
    9. Community Radio Mobilization to effectively reach the grass root communities
    10. Advisory to private TV & FM channels to become part of the campaign so as to enhance impact and outreach of the mission
    11. Anchor based and in-house serials on DD & AIR
    12. News bulletins through special success stories on DD & AIR
    13. Interactive programmes on DD & AIR
    14. Public Information Campaigns to focus on the core issues of the mission.
    15. Interpersonal communication strategies through field units of the Ministry.

     

    Launch of the DAVP Calendar, “Clean India, Green India”: The year 2015 calendar has been developed on the theme of “Clean India Green India” with focus on “Swachhta” and environment issues. The January page of the Calendar displayed the launch of the “Swachh Bharat Mission by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. While the February page carried the message of ‘Swachh Vidyalaya’ and ‘Bal Swachhta Abhiyan’, the March page was designed on the theme, ‘Rejuvenating Rivers.’ The April Page of the Calendar portrayed “Clean Hospitals: A Healthy India,” May depicted the cleanliness drive of Railways, June focused on Rejuvenation of the River Ganges, ‘Namami Gange’, and July on people’s participation in Swachh Bharat Movement. The August page was on the theme of Clean Villages; the month of September highlighted Solar Energy as clean and renewable source of energy; October depicted Wind Power as pollution free source of energy and November emphasized the need to preserve Himalayan Ranges. Wildlife conservation was the theme for December.

     

    For the first time ever, a mobile app of the calendar has been developed. The mobile App would provide access to the latest tweets from the PMO, the YouTube channel of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and the press releases on the PIB website. In addition to being a window for all websites of Government of India, this informative application would serve as a planner to the users bringing news updates from AIR and DD News. The mobile app was developed for Android platforms initially, which would be made available on other mobile platforms also in due course of time.

     

     

    Organising Press Conferences to highlight achievements and initiatives of the Government:The strategy adopted has been extremely successful in positioning the visibility of Government’s initiatives across media platforms.

     

    Multimedia Exhibition on Former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee:The Ministry of I&B has mounted a multimedia exhibition under the aegis of DAVP on the former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The exhibition would serve as an inspiration and learning to the people in understanding the life and contributions of Shri Vajpayee as a politician, statesman, and poet. The exhibition was inaugurated by Union Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs, and Information & Broadcasting Shri Arun Jaitley on 20 December, 2014.

     

    The exhibition portrays the life of Shri Vajpayee, through a display of around 250 photographs, which reflect his vibrant personality. These rare pictures not only take the visitors through the political journey of this visionary leader, but also provide a glimpse into the diverse phases of his life – as a poet and a great thinker. At this event, different facets of his life will be showcased through photo and electronic exhibition. Scrollers, translites, LED walls, large fascia and title boards are the major attractions of the exhibition. The exhibition was open to public from 20 – 25 December, 2014.

     

    Establishment of Social Media Presence of Government of India: In order to facilitate Ministries/Departments in registering their presence on social media by utilizing the services of the Communications Hub established by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, the ministry organized a half day training workshop on 11 July, 2014 at the National Media Centre. The response was very encouraging as about 150 officers representing 59 Ministries/Departments attended the workshop. An interactive Q&A session was also held before concluding the workshop and induction material including a handbook on social media was also distributed to all the participants.

     

    Third and fourth phase of digitization: A Task Force has been constituted with the approval of MIB to steer the remaining two phases i.e., Phase III and Phase IV of digitization in India. The Task Force is headed by the Additional Secretary of the Ministry and comprises stakeholders from various ministries, departments and industry representatives. The constitution of the Task Force paves the way for implementation of digitization initiative in India, which will see digitization of about 8 crores cable TV homes in India. This will bring India in the league of developed nations. It is also a step towards the Prime Minister’s dream of a Digital India, as digitization will enable quick penetration of broadband connectivity in India.

     

    Government of India vide Notification dated 11 September, 2014 has revised the timeframe for digitization for Phase-III and IV of the Cable TV. As per revised guidelines, Phase-III and IV of Cable TV would be completed by December 2015 and December 2016 respectively.

     

    Third phase of FM radio auction: The Cabinet Note on third phase of FM has been moved for cabinet approval. This decision of the Ministry of I&B will pave the way for e-auction of FM Phase-III channels.

     

    Goa declared the permanent destination for International Films Festival of India: In order to develop the “Brand IFFI” on the lines of other international film festivals, Goa has been declared as the permanent destination for International Films Festival of India (IFFI). The IFFI platform propagated the theme “Green India, Clean India” at all the major events organized under its banner.

     

    North East Film Festival: For the first time, a three-day North East Film Festival was held in Delhi (Siri Fort Complex) on a grand scale. It will henceforth be an annual feature, a prominent event in the film festival calendar of the Directorate of Film Festivals. The Festival concluded on 24 August, 2014.

     

    FTII, SRFTII to be institutes of national importance: In order to provide statutory backing through an act of Parliament to declare both the institutes as Institutes of National Importance the government has proposed a Bill. The proposed Bill would enable both the institutes to award its own degrees and diplomas and start new activities on the lines of IITs and IIMs. Cabinet Note has been moved.

     

    Meeting with stakeholders related to Set-Top-Boxes to promote indigenization of digitization: Efforts were taken to fulfill the long pending demand of domestic manufacturers of Set-Top-Boxes (STBs) to get tax concession (C Form benefit) in order to compete with imported STBs. A letter was written by Hon’ble MIB to Hon’ble Finance Minister to resolve the issue of C-Form concession to domestic manufacturers. This was followed by a meeting by Hon’ble MIB with senior officials from Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Department of Telecom, Bureau of Indian Standards etc., and other industry stakeholders like indigenous STB manufacturers, DTH Association and MSO Associations etc. As a result of continuous follow up, Department of Telecom has confirmed Set Top Box as “Telecom Network Equipment”. The proposal has also been approved by the Ministry of Finance and a letter has already been issued to all the State Governments, Commissioners of Taxes and other concerned that STB will get the facility of ‘Form C’.

     

    e-initiatives: The Office of Registrar of Newspapers for India, M/o I&B has streamlined its Single Window Public dealing mechanism at its office. The RNI has achieved 100% success in online e-filing of Annual statements by publishers for 2013-14. The software module has been finalized for online filing of title verification application. It has also started sending automatic SMS intimation about status of title and registration application to publishers.

     

    Boost to Community Radio movement in the Country:Hon’ble MIB has been given a lot of emphasis on reaching out to the people especially in rural and marginalized areas with effective development communication. Community Radios are one of the best tools to touch the lives of millions of people as it is the platform, which provides an opportunity to community to not only receive messages from Government but also provide its feedback, which ensures two-way communication. An announcement has been made by Hon’ble Finance Minister in his budget speech allocating an amount of Rs 100 crores for “Supporting Community Radio Movement in India.” This would enable setting up of 600 community radio stations across the country in the 12th Five Year Plan. The resources would also be utilized for enhancing awareness, building capacities of community radio operators and promoting innovations in the sector. Funds would also be provided to various CR operators as a matching grant for setting up /upgrading community radio stations. At present 170 community radios are operating in various parts of India and about 200 are in the pipeline. This major initiative of the new government will strengthen the connect with the population living in rural and marginalized areas.

     

    A monitoring mechanism is also being set up to monitor community radio stations live at Electronic Media Monitoring Centre.

     

     

    Simplification of Procedures for granting Television licenses for starting additional television channels: Ministry of I&B grants permission to private television channels in India. At present about 800 TV channels have already been permitted by the Ministry of I&B. India has a huge broadcasting industry, thanks to the large number of television channels providing news and entertainment in various languages both at the national and regional level. Many companies desirous of starting new television channels have been approaching the Ministry to simplify procedures for launch of additional television channels. The issue of grant of additional television channels had become complicated as previously it was decided that for starting every additional TV channel security clearance would be required even for the same company and same set of Directors, who had been security cleared earlier, within the period of validity of such security clearance.

     

    Proposal cleared for Rs 600 crore National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM) to preserve India’s film legacy: The revised EFC proposal for a Rs 600 crore National Film Heritage Mission project to preserve India’s filmic legacy was cleared by the Expenditure Finance Committee in the Ministry of Finance on 3 July, 2014. The modalities are being worked out to launch it at the earliest.

     

    Peoples’ participation in Government Advertising through Crowd-Sourcing of Advertisements: The advertisement for the important events being designed on the crowd-sourcing model. Independence Day advertisement designed on these lines and DAVP has invited suggestions for the proposed advertisement to be brought out on 5 September to observe “Teachers Day”.

     

    Adopting 360 degree approach to information dissemination: Designing integrated campaigns based on the 360 degree approach, the core theme touching all tools including the contemporary as well as new media. For Independence Day, the advertisements were crowd-sourced for the first time and coverage was extended to all media platforms.

     

    Transparency Steps have also been taken by the Ministry to enhance transparency and expedite approvals for which Open House Meetings have been started for Community Radio applicants on the first of every month. For Multi System Operators (MSOs), Open House meetings are held every week on Tuesday. For television applicants, Open House meetings are held every fortnight i.e., on 5th and 20th of every month. This provides an opportunity to applicants to have a direct interaction with the Ministry officials and clarify their doubts as well as to get the status of their pending applications. This has enhanced transparency and accountability in the grant of various permissions to applicants of Community Radios, television channels, MSO permissions etc.

     

    Screening of rare archival footage: A half an hour film, “Road To Freedom,” was produced by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, based solely on rare archival footage. It was screened on DD (National) on 15 August, 2014. More such films will be produced and screened on days like 2nd October, 26th January and such like.

     

    Organisation of One Day Workshop on ‘Crisis Communication’:  In pursuance of the decision taken in Committee of Secretaries (CoS) meeting held on 1 July 2014 to consider measures to upgrade the efficacy of control and response system of Government in crisis situation, Ministry of Information organized a one day training session for senior officers of various Ministries/ Departments on ‘Communicating with Media’ through Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) on 22 September, 2014 at National Media Centre.

     

    (These are purely personal views of I&B Ministry secretary Bimal Julka and indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)

  • “Digital has emerged as alternative platform for information dissemination”: Arun Jaitley

    “Digital has emerged as alternative platform for information dissemination”: Arun Jaitley

    MUMBAI: The Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting, Arun Jaitley has said that in the last two decades, conventional contours of the issues pertaining to freedom and responsibility of media had changed due to changes in the nature and content of media and the definition of news. 

     

    According to the Minister, news in the electronic media today is being defined by what the camera could capture. “In the current paradigm, technology has become a driving force for these changes. The impact of technology was profound as information dissemination was taking place 24×7 across different technological tools and media platforms including the digital space,” he added.

     

    Jaitley stated this while delivering the first Justice J. S. Verma Memorial lecture on the ‘Freedom & Responsibility of Media’ organised by the News Broadcasters Association.  

     

    Elaborating further, Jaitley said that technological developments had defied the contours of censorship and the challenges for the media lay within, in the context of ownership patterns, financial sustainability and financial models, which led to aberrations such as paid news.

     

    According to Jaitley, the challenges before the media were to ensure quality, credibility along with the responsibility to play the role of an educator in handling sensitive issues. The challenge also lay in maintaining high ethical standards on the issue of conflict of interest where media needed to be very careful.

     

    Regarding digital media, the Minister said the financial models would evolve as the medium matured. The digital platform also needed to evolve its own standards of responsibility as it had emerged as an alternative platform for information dissemination.  

     

    The Minister further mentioned that media responsibility was critical in addressing matters related to security, social tension, privacy of the individual and the issues that involved a subjudice connotation. “Media needs to avoid the conduct of parallel trials in reporting matters that were subjudice,” he said, adding that constructive deliberations on all issues relating to media freedom and responsibility needed to be initiated amongst all stakeholders. 

     

    During the course of his address, Jaitley recalled the outstanding contribution of Justice J. S. Verma in the domains of Human Rights, gender equality, probity and media freedom as the conscience keeper of the society. 

     

  • Censor Board members who quit are “rebels without a cause”: Arun Jaitely

    Censor Board members who quit are “rebels without a cause”: Arun Jaitely

    MUMBAI: The theatrics between the government and Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) continues. After the resignation of CBFC chief Leela Samson and thirteen other board members, Minister of Finance, Minister of Corporate Affairs and Minister of Information and Broadcasting Arun Jaitely has now called all of them ‘Rebels Without A Cause.’

     

    In a note put up on social media, Jaitely acknowledged that the chairperson of the Censor Board – Samson – sent her resignation to the Government as have some other members, alleging interference by the Government and corruption in the Board.

     

    “Along with my colleague Shri Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, I look after the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. At no point either of us have communicated with any Member of the Censor Board or desired that any bureaucrat to do the same. I have not met or spoken to any Member of the Censor Board nor authorised anyone to do the same. It is the UPA appointed Central Censor Board, which has since continued. If there is any corruption, the UPA appointees have themselves to blame. I only wished that the fact of corruption had been communicated even once by the Chairperson of the Censor Board to me. The non-functional Chairperson never did so. The charge that meetings of the Censor Board are not being held is a self condemnation. The meetings are to be convened not by the Minister or the Secretary but by the Chairperson. If the meetings are not being convened, it is for those responsible for non-functioning who must blame themselves. I have checked up from officials of the Ministry who informed that the funds for the Censor Board have been returned to the Ministry as unspent by the Board,” Jaitely lashed out in this no-holds-barred note.

     

    He further went on to say that the legal regime with regard to the functioning of the Censor Board is clear. “It is the Censor Board alone which decides issues within its jurisdiction. The aggrieved producer has a right to move to the Appeal Tribunal. The Congress Party has politicised even membership of the Appeal Tribunal. We have restored its dignity by appointing a former judge of high credibility as Chairperson. If an Appeal Tribunal disagrees with the Board, it is a part of the due process of law and not an onslaught on Board’s autonomy. Can a subordinate judicial authority ever cry foul if its decision upset by an appellate authority? The NDA Government maintains arms length distance in all matters relating to film certification,” he wrote.

     

    Lashing out at the UPA Government, Jaitely said that the UPA had politicised the Censor Board. “In 2004 they dismissed the existing Censor Board headed by an eminent film actor Anupam Kher merely on the ground that he was appointed by the earlier Government. We did not wish to do that. It is regrettable that the UPA appointees have decided to politicise routine issues,” he said.

     

    As was reported earlier by Indiatelevision.com, the controversy arose over the film ‘Messenger of God’ (MSG), made by and starring Dera Saccha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.