Tag: Parliament

Ram Jethmalani memorial lecture series returns with second edition

Mumbai: In a tribute to a legendary jurist and MP, Ram Jethmalani lecture series is back with its second edition and will be streamed LIVE on NewsX this Saturday from 5 p.m.

The lecture series will address a pertinent issue this year which has recently found itself at the hotbed of Indian politics in 21st century. India’s Who’s and Who will share their take on whether ‘Disruption to parliamentary proceedings is an MP’s privilege and/or a facet of parliamentary democracy?’

Vice president and Rajya Sabha chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu will be the guest of honour at the lecture series and will be joined by other esteemed panelists including union cabinet minister of law Kiren Rijiju, the attorney general for India KK Venugopal and solicitor general of India Tushar Mehta. Union cabinet minister for women & child welfare Smriti Irani, Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra, former solicitor general of India Gopal Subramaniam, former solicitor general of India Ranjit Kumar, Tughlak editor S Gurumurthy and former Rajya Sabha MP Pavan Varma will also mark their presence at the memorial series and share their views on the topic.

iTV Network founder Kartikeya Sharma said, “In tribute to one of India’s greatest jurists and MPs I can’t think of a more fitting subject that merits the focus of stakeholders in this panel of speakers. Democratic systems often lead to deadlock, but surely there is a way to bring back the poignancy of debate that Ram Jethmalani embodied at the bench, both in court and parliament. The object is to keep India forging ahead. I’m hoping that such efforts to recall whence we came will help us chart whither we go.”

NewsX managing editor Rishabh Gulati said, “The people of India now have great expectations from those who are elected to serve. Parliament has become raucous often times as has the Indian media. We had the opportunity to get some of India’s most committed minds discuss the Indian media in the first edition of this memorial lecture series, it’s a merit that so many stakeholders are willing to take on a vexatious topic like this.”

Apart from the NewsX channel, the series will be aired on all our social media channels and major OTT platforms – Zee5, Dailyhunt, JioTV, Shemaroo, Mzaalo, Watcho, Flipkart, Paytm, Tatasky and MX Player.

September 18, 2021
Licences of 204 private TV channels revoked in last four years : I&B minister

New Delhi: The ministry of information and broadcasting has revoked licences of over 200 private TV channels during 2016-2020, union I&B minister Anurag Thakur told the Parliament on Monday.

Responding to a query in Rajya Sabha during the ongoing monsoon session, Thakur said that as on date, there are 916 private satellite TV channels which have been granted permission by the government under the Up-linking and Downlinking Guidelines, 2011.

“However, many channels failed to fulfil the guidelines and ceased to operate in the last five years,” he said. “TV channels cease operation due to various reasons, including for non-fulfilment of conditions under the guidelines. During the last five years, 204 TV channels have ceased to operate.”

Thakur also told the Parliament that the government also takes action against private TV channels for violation of programme code laid down under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 by issuance of warnings, advisories, off-air orders, etc. “The government has issued warnings in 128 cases for violation of guidelines,” he said.

The minister said 60 private satellite TV channels were given permission to operate in the country in 2016-17, 34 in 2017-18, 56 each in 2018-19 and 2019-20, and 22 in 2020-21.

August 3, 2021
Govt ad spend on print falls by 54 % in last 3 years

New Delhi: The government’s expenditure on print advertisements has dropped by almost 54 per cent in the last three years.

According to the latest data presented in the Parliament, the government had spent Rs 429.55 cr in print advertisements in 2018-19, which decreased to Rs 295.05 cr in 2019-20, and further plummeted down to Rs 197.49 cr during the pandemic in 2020-21. The data was shared by the union minister for information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur during the ongoing monsoon session of the Parliament.

The ad-expenditure on electronic and digital media has also also recorded a significant drop over the last three years, said Thakur in a written response to a question raised by BJD MP Sasmit Patra. According to Thakur, the Centre spent Rs 514.29 crore on TV ads in 2018-19. In 2019-20, the allocation for ad expenditure on electronic media platforms was slashed to Rs 316.99 crore, which further came down to Rs 167.98 crore in 2020-21.

All these expenditures refer to expenses incurred by the Bureau of Outreach and Communications (BOC), which acts as an advisory body to the government on its media strategy, and undertakes information, education, and communication (IEC) campaigns of the government through its empanelled media platforms as per the policy guidelines.

The plummeting ad spends by the government come at a time when the print industry is struggling to survive the pandemic’s severe blow. The print media thrives on advertisement expenditure of industries including e-commerce, automobiles, and finance, which were also impacted by the lockdown. Many businesses ended up pulling out advertisements, as part of budget cuts and also due to a drastic fall in the circulation of newspapers and magazines. The prolonged lockdown restrictions forced several publications to limit the number of pages, shut their editions and resort to layoffs.

Last year, the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) had also raised concerns over the rising newsprint and logistics costs and increasing preference for online content. It had also demanded a 50 per cent increase in government advertisement rates and a 200 per cent increase in the Centre’s spend on print media advertising and an immediate settlement of advertisement bills outstanding to both central and state governments.

July 27, 2021
Parliament’s Monsoon Session to begin from today

New Delhi: The monsoon session of the Parliament is all set to begin on Monday. The session will conclude on August 13. It will also be the first session for some of the newly inducted Cabinet ministers, including Anurag Thakur who was recently sworn in as the information and broadcasting minister.

This will also be the first session of parliament since the results of assembly polls in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. Last year, the monsoon session began in September and the winter session was not held due to the Covid-19 situation. According to the ministry of parliamentary affairs, during the 19 sittings of the session, 31 Government business items including 29 Bills and 2 financial items will be taken up. Six bills will be brought to replace the ordinances.

Lok Sabha will meet from 11 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm unless directed otherwise by Speaker Om Birla. Four days have been allotted for the transaction of private members’ business, which is taken up in the post-lunch session.

Parliamentary Affairs minister Shri Pralhad Joshi said that the Government is ready for discussion on any topic under the rules. Seeking full cooperation of all the parties in the smooth running of the houses, he said that there should be structured debate on the issues. An all-party meeting was held on Sunday to discuss the same.

July 19, 2021

ISRO launched 8 communication satellites over 4 years

NEW DELHI: Eight communication satellites were launched by India’s space agency ISRO over the last four years that carried transponders in various frequency bands of C, extended C, Ku, Ka and S for telecommunications, broadcast and mobile communication services.

Navigation satellites were part of the indigenous constellation NavIC, India’s own regional navigation system. Navigation satellites carried navigation payloads in L and S-bands for providing position, navigation and timing services.

Earth Observation satellites are used for deriving inputs for natural resource management, disaster management, cartographic applications, weather, climate and ocean studies.

Communication Satellite	8
Navigational Satellite	7
Remote Sensing Satellite	5
Meteorological satellite	2
Science Satellite	1
Technology Demonstration/ Student Satellite	9

Astrosat (science payload) is a unique multi wavelength observatory in space, providing an opportunity for observation of celestial sources in ultra-violet, optical and X-ray wavelength bands.

ISRO has also launched satellites for technology demonstration and student satellites to encourage the young generation to work in the field of space.

This information was provided by the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, in Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) on Wednesday.

Also Read :

ISRO readies GSAT-6A satellite for launch

ISRO, DoT turf wars delaying connectivity reach: govt official

ISRO to double annual satellite launch

April 5, 2018

Four FDI media proposals await govt. nod

NEW DELHI: A total of 99 proposals including four relating to the information and broadcasting sector for foreign direct investment are pending before various ministries, the Parliament has been informed.

This follows the decision to entrust the work of granting government approval for FDI investment in eleven notified sectors/activities requiring government approval to the concerned ministries/departments.

Commerce and industries minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the decisions would be taken under the extant FDI Policy and Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA),

The government, through the erstwhile Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), had already been considering and taking decisions on FDI proposals in the sectors on approval route.

Consequently, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for processing FDI proposals was issued on 29 June, 2017.

According to the SOP, once the proposal is complete in all respects, which should not be later than six weeks/eight weeks (in cases where comments of the home ministry have been sought from security clearance point of view) from the receipt of the proposal, the competent authority will, within the next two weeks, process the proposal for decision and convey the same to the applicant.

In respect of proposals where the competent authority proposes to reject the proposals or in cases where conditions for approval are stipulated in addition to the conditions laid down in the FDI policy or sectoral laws/regulations, concurrence of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion will compulsorily be sought within 8-10 weeks weeks (in cases where comments of the home ministry have been sought from security clearance point of view) from the receipt of the proposal.

The 99 FDI proposals pending in various ministries/departments are:

Name of Ministry/Department	No. of Proposals
Department of Economic Affairs	13
Department of Pharmaceuticals	14
Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion	48
Department of Telecommunications	8
Department of Defence Production	4
Ministry of Home Affairs	5
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting	4
Department of Space	2
Department of Financial Services	1
Total	99

ALSO READ:

FDI proposals in print, broadcasting to be cleared by MIB; satellites by DoS

You Broadband-Vodafone proposal accepted, Atria & Netmagic FDI cleared

Mobile data traffic grew by 76%, tele-market to cross Rs 6.6 trn by ’20

August 10, 2017

Social media access can be blocked under specific conditions

NEW DELHI: The Government has said that Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000 provides for blocking access to information under specific conditions.

Answering a question about censoring new platforms for publication and broadcasting of media content like social networks and online video services, the minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told the Parliament that the Act has provisions for removal of objectionable online content.

The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) rules 2011 require that the Intermediaries shall observe due diligence while discharging their duties and shall inform the users of computer resources not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, update or share any information that is harmful, objectionable, affects minors and is unlawful in any way.

With regard to the use of social media by the Government, he said social media platforms are used to disseminate/ publicise information pertaining to Government policies and programmes.

The government has set up myGov as a social media platform for enabling greater people participation in matters relating to public policy.

Meanwhile, the ministry has categorically said it is not contemplating any regulatory framework for censorship of content appearing on the internet.

As far as OTT was concerned, sources in the ministry told indiantelevision.com that this was still a new subject, and the government would take action in the event of any complaints from viewers and subscribers.

At present, the government does not certify any programmes coming on television, but the sources reiterated that programming has to be in accordance with the guidelines of the Programme and Advertising Code apart from the Uplink and Downlink Guidelines.

The information and broadcasting ministry, sources said, has no control over films appearing online as this falls in the ambit of the IT Act which is administered by IT Ministry.

December 16, 2016
Social media access can be blocked under specific conditions

NEW DELHI: The Government has said that Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000 provides for blocking access to information under specific conditions.

Answering a question about censoring new platforms for publication and broadcasting of media content like social networks and online video services, the minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told the Parliament that the Act has provisions for removal of objectionable online content.

The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) rules 2011 require that the Intermediaries shall observe due diligence while discharging their duties and shall inform the users of computer resources not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, update or share any information that is harmful, objectionable, affects minors and is unlawful in any way.

With regard to the use of social media by the Government, he said social media platforms are used to disseminate/ publicise information pertaining to Government policies and programmes.

The government has set up myGov as a social media platform for enabling greater people participation in matters relating to public policy.

Meanwhile, the ministry has categorically said it is not contemplating any regulatory framework for censorship of content appearing on the internet.

As far as OTT was concerned, sources in the ministry told indiantelevision.com that this was still a new subject, and the government would take action in the event of any complaints from viewers and subscribers.

At present, the government does not certify any programmes coming on television, but the sources reiterated that programming has to be in accordance with the guidelines of the Programme and Advertising Code apart from the Uplink and Downlink Guidelines.

The information and broadcasting ministry, sources said, has no control over films appearing online as this falls in the ambit of the IT Act which is administered by IT Ministry.

December 16, 2016
81 teleports permitted to uplink, downlink TV channels

MUMBAI: A total of 892 private satellite TV channels can downlink and/or uplink from 81 teleports in the country, apart from those of Doordarshan which are uplinked directly from Prasar Bharati transmitters.

The permission to the private channels has been according under the Uplink and Downlink of TV channels policy as last amended on 5 December 2011.

The Parliament was told recently that while no information regarding Free to Air teleports is available, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has said there are 281 pay channels as on 30 September 2016. A list of such pay channels is available on TRAI’s website under the link:www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/List-of-pay-chanel-03.03.2015.pdf.

It was also revealed that payment of annual permission fee 60 days before the due date will by itself be sufficient permission for continuation of a channel for a further period of one year from the due date and broadcasters which hold valid permission for uplinking and/or downlinking they would not require to obtain renewal permission from the ministry. All the TV channels and teleports are likely to benefit from this decision provided the validity of 10-year permission is available.

The list of permitted private satellite TV channels is available in this ministry’s website i.e.www.mib.nic.in. and the list of permitted teleports as on date is enclosed.

The channels which are not mentioned in the list may be considered as Free to Air (FTA) channels.

Questions were raised in the Lok Sabha about details of the channels and teleports functioning in the country; details of the free to air channels and teleports at present; whether the government has completely abolished the process of obtaining an Annual Renewal for TV channels in the current forms; and it were so, the details thereof, along with the aims and objective thereto; and the number of channels and teleports likely to be benefit from the said decision.

December 12, 2016
81 teleports permitted to uplink, downlink TV channels

MUMBAI: A total of 892 private satellite TV channels can downlink and/or uplink from 81 teleports in the country, apart from those of Doordarshan which are uplinked directly from Prasar Bharati transmitters.

The permission to the private channels has been according under the Uplink and Downlink of TV channels policy as last amended on 5 December 2011.

The Parliament was told recently that while no information regarding Free to Air teleports is available, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has said there are 281 pay channels as on 30 September 2016. A list of such pay channels is available on TRAI’s website under the link:www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/List-of-pay-chanel-03.03.2015.pdf.

It was also revealed that payment of annual permission fee 60 days before the due date will by itself be sufficient permission for continuation of a channel for a further period of one year from the due date and broadcasters which hold valid permission for uplinking and/or downlinking they would not require to obtain renewal permission from the ministry. All the TV channels and teleports are likely to benefit from this decision provided the validity of 10-year permission is available.

The list of permitted private satellite TV channels is available in this ministry’s website i.e.www.mib.nic.in. and the list of permitted teleports as on date is enclosed.

The channels which are not mentioned in the list may be considered as Free to Air (FTA) channels.

Questions were raised in the Lok Sabha about details of the channels and teleports functioning in the country; details of the free to air channels and teleports at present; whether the government has completely abolished the process of obtaining an Annual Renewal for TV channels in the current forms; and it were so, the details thereof, along with the aims and objective thereto; and the number of channels and teleports likely to be benefit from the said decision.

December 12, 2016