ITV

Tag: Lok Sabha

  • I&B MoS Ambareesh quits over Cauvery award

    I&B MoS Ambareesh quits over Cauvery award

    NEW DELHI: Renowned Kannada actor-turned-politician MH Ambareesh has quit as the minister of state for information and broadcasting and also his seat in the Lok Sabha protesting that the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal had been ”unfair” to Karnataka in its final verdict.

    Ambareesh announced in Bangalore yesterday that he had sent his resignation both to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee as well as Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, and also sent a copy to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

    However, his resignation was rejected Chatterjee on technical grounds. The Speaker’s office contended that Ambareesh had faxed the resignation, which was not the acceptable method of putting in papers, even as his fans also urged him to withdraw the resignation.

    Ambareesh announced the resignation following pressure by people in his constituency Mandya when he was gheraoed by lawyers when he came to participate in a function in the Karnataka High Court here to release a special cover and cancellation of the Postal department to commemorate the golden jubilee of the High Court.

    Holding that the Tribunal had caused “injustice” to the southern state, he complimented the lawyers for taking up the cause of the state. Congress circles in the state were caught complete unawares by his move.

    Karnataka had been witnessing widespread protests after the 5 February Tribunal award, which directed Karnataka to release 192 tmc ft of water to Tamil Nadu, pegging the state’s requirement at 270 tmc ft as against 419 tmc ft of the lower riparian state.

    The star, who was elected from the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency for a third time in 2004, had led a procession of cine artistes against the award in the city yesterday.

    Meanwhile, G Made Gowda, president of the Cauvery Hitarakshana Horata Samiti, which is spearheading the agitation on the water sharing issue, termed the resignation of Ambareesh as a hasty decision and said the star should continue as a minister and fight for the water rights of the state.

  • Urdu channel might get a compulsory transmission by cable operators

    Urdu channel might get a compulsory transmission by cable operators

    MUMBAI: Doordarshan had recently launched an exclusive Urdu channel which contains programmes relating to culture, heritage, literature, entertainment, information and education etc.

    As on date the Urdu channel has not been notified for compulsory transmission by cable operators in their networks.There is a suggestion to make Urdu channel compulsory for all cable operators to telecast. However, no timeframe can be given.

    The airtime allocated to this channel is as follows:

    (i) 7 am to 11 am

    (ii) 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm

    (iii) 7 pm to 11 pm

    This Information was given by Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, P R Dasmunsi in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

  • Agricultural programmes find space on DD channels: Prasar Bharati

    Agricultural programmes find space on DD channels: Prasar Bharati

    MUMBAI: Doordarshan telecasts 30-minute programmes on agriculture six days a week from Monday to Saturday at 6:30 am, Prasar Bharati has said.

    Additionally in 18 States, specific agriculture programmes are being telecast for a duration of 30 minutes five days a week from Monday to Friday and over 36 clusters across the country, area specific agricultural programmes are being telecast on narrowcast mode.

    As regards Akashvani, almost all stations of All India Radio are broadcasting programmes for farmers daily in the morning, noon and evening. The average duration of agriculture based programmes is 60 to 100 minutes per day. An exclusive project titled Kisan Vani has been launched in association with the Ministry of Agriculture.

    Further, the prices of agricultural products in different Mandis are being telecasted five days a week Monday to Friday through Mandi Bhav Bulletins on the national channel of Doordarshan and through 18 regional channels covering 18 States and also on narrowcasting clusters in respect of these States.

    In addition, Minimum Support Price (MSP) of agricultural commodities are also being telecasted repeatedly on national channel and regional channels and all narrowcasting clusters. On Akashwani, the retail prices of agricultural produce are being broadcast and they are also included in News bulletins.

    This Information was given by Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, P R Dasmunsi in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

  • 188 AIR stations/offices to be computerised in 2006-07

    188 AIR stations/offices to be computerised in 2006-07

    MUMBAI: The Government has proposed to computerise Akashvani Kendras for providing better services. For computerisation of AIR stations/offices there are two schemes under 10 Plan namely Scheme (I) and Scheme (II)

    Under Scheme (I) computerisation of 38 AIR stations not having computers which has a provision of 68 desktop computers with peripherals at an estimated cost of Rs. 41 million. This scheme has already been implemented.

    Under Scheme II – Computerisation of 188 AIR stations/offices has a provision of 414 desktop computers with peripherals and networking at an estimated cost of Rs. 390 million. This scheme is likely to be implemented during the year 2006-07.

    This Information was given by Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, P R Dasmunsi in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

  • Disappearance of Arab channels as no permission sought: Indian govt

    Disappearance of Arab channels as no permission sought: Indian govt

    NEW DELHI: The Indian government today clarified that no channel has been banned, especially Arab TV channels.

    Disappearance of Arab TV channels from Indian cable networks has got more to do with them not conforming to new media norms like getting landing rights from New Delhi, the government stated today officially.

    “(The) government reiterates that Arab TV channels like Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabia (and) Q TV have not yet applied to be downlinked in India till date. Hence they cannot be transmitted/re-transmitted through cable networks/DTH in India, for public viewing,” information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said in a statement today.

    The information and broadcasting ministry statement added, “Arab channels are still free to apply afresh for registration under the downlinking guidelines, if they so desire and they will have similar opportunities like others.”

    Dasmunsi said in Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) today, “In order to strengthen the mechanism of regulation over the content of television channels, which are being transmitted/re-transmitted through cable networks/DTH in India, for public viewing, the government has notified downlinking guidelines on 11 November, 2005.

    “All private TV channels, which are beamed into India and are being transmitted/re-transmitted through cable networks/DTH in India for public viewing, have to get themselves registered under the said guidelines. To facilitate smooth implementation, six months time (up to 10 May, 2006) was provided to all TV channels to comply with the provisions of the downlinking guidelines and get themselves registered.”

    The government has allowed TV channels, which were uplinked from abroad and had made an application for registration to the federal government up to 11 May, 2006, to be re-transmitted in India for a period of six months or till the time registration has been granted or refused, Dasmunsi said.

    Private TV channels, which were uplinking from India, in accordance with the permission for uplinking granted before 2 December, 2005, were treated as “registered” television channels under the downlinking guidelines, the government said today.

    The government also clarified that no Arab TV channels have been banned, as reported in a section of the media, under pressure from Israel.

    “The government of India denies this vehemently as it is contrary to facts. No channel in particular has been `banned’ recently by the ministry of information and broadcasting. This is a malicious and baseless accusation against the government by interested quarters,” Dasmunsi said.

    Under the downlinking norms, 65 TV channels, uplinked from abroad, have applied for landing rights.

    In a bylined report from Mumbai a correspondent of Arab News blared: “In a country widely referred to as the world’s largest democracy, the Indian government has succumbed to mounting Israeli pressure and ordered a nationwide ban on the broadcast of Arab television channels.”

    The report further added that New Delhi’s ban on Arab television stations “is in complete contrast to the friendship that Arab countries imagine exists with their neighbor across the Arabian Sea.”

    It seems the ban is a move to ensure that Indians do not get to see the atrocities that are presently being committed by Israel in Lebanon and the occupied territories, the report said.

    The lopsided report quoted one Nabila Al-Bassam, a Saudi businesswoman on a trip to Mumbai, as saying she became exasperated at not being able to watch Arab channels at Mumbai’s leading five-star Oberoi Hotel. When she took up the issue with the hotel manager, she was told that Arab television channels had been banned across India.

    What the hotel management and many like them did not know was that the so-called disappearance of Arab TV channels like Al Arabiya was because those TV channels had failed to apply for landing rights in India.

  • I&B announces initiatives to boost film industry

    I&B announces initiatives to boost film industry

    MUMBAI: The Central Government has taken the following initiatives for facilitating the growth of film sector, as announced by the minister of Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, P R Dasmunsi in Lok Sabha today. 
    The initiatives include:

    – Institutional financing is now available to the film industry.

    – 100 per cent foreign direct investment is permitted in the film sector.

    – Government has encouraged participation in global markets with a view to enhancing the visibility of the film industry abroad.

    – Film weeks and festivals are held on reciprocal basis with various countries.

    – Audiovisual co-production agreement has been signed with the Republic of Italy and Government of UK and similar proposals from other countries are being explored to expand avenues of finances and markets for the Indian film industry.

    – The recommendations of the Committee for the Development of entertainment sector have been conveyed to all the State Governments.

    – The National Film Development Corporation, a public sector unit under this Ministry provides financial assistance and other services to the film industry.
    The endeavor is to facilitate the entertainment sector to achieve its potential and promote growth in exports, so that this sector is able to increase its contribution towards generating income and employment in the country, informs an official press statement.

    The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has also submitted a memorandum on film industry for the 11th Five Year Plan. The memorandum deals with various issues relating to the film sector. It contains suggestions to mitigate video piracy, levy of uniform entertainment tax across all States, fiscal and tax benefits, review of the Cinematograph Act, incentives for setting up polytechnics, institutes and film schools and an Export Promotion Council for films.

  • Prasar Bharati to beef up DD, AIR news operations with fresh recruitments

    Prasar Bharati to beef up DD, AIR news operations with fresh recruitments

    MUMBAI: Prasar Bharati is strengthening its manpower for news coverage in All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan. Responding to a written query on the subject, minister of information and broadcasting and Parliamentary affairs P R Dasmunsi said in the Lok Sabha that the Prasar Bharati board had approved the proposal to position Part Time Correspondents (PTC) in all those districts of the country where regular AIR correspondents are not posted.

    According to Dasmunsi, there are about 90 full time correspondents/editors and 419 PTCs posted/positioned across the country and the process of selection of PTCs in respect of remaining 150 districts headquarters is underway.

    “With this, Prasar Bharati will have correspondents in all the district headquarters of the country. Doordarshan News has a network of Stringers who, along with the PTCs of AIR, provides news inputs from various districts in the country. Besides, Doordarshan regular TV correspondents/news reporters are also deployed to gather important news from time to time for inclusion in the news bulletins telecast by Doordarshan,” Dasmunsi said.

    Dasmunsi informed that, AIR and Doordarshan tried to cover all important news events across the country with its limited manpower and support. “Some events in far off places which are not covered due to infrastructure and manpower shortages are covered by subscribing to news agencies,” he said.