ITV

Tag: Prime Minister

  • Advisory on PMs speech should not to be used against news channels: Allahabad HC

    Advisory on PMs speech should not to be used against news channels: Allahabad HC

    NEW DELHI: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has directed the Information and Broadcasting Ministry not to use against news channels the advisory issued by it last month about comparisons drawn between the Prime Minister’s Independence Day speech with other leaders.

     

    Social activist Nutan Thakur had sought quashing of the Advisory of 21 October passed by the Ministry.

     

    The Bench of Chief Justice Dhananjay Yashwant Chandrachud and Justice Rituraj Awasthi said the Advisory whereby the electronic news channels have been notified that their licence will be cancelled in case they compare the Prime Minister with any other political leaders should be used only for compliance of rules and regulations and not beyond.

     

    The petition said that the Ministry issued this Advisory threatening penal provision in Section 20 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 because many news channels compared PM Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi for their Independence Day speech which the Ministry found “indecent” and “bad in taste”.

     

    Calling the Advisory ‘a dictatorial step to curb the independence of media’, Thakur had prayed for its immediate quashing in larger public interest.

  • Govt. defends advisory to TV news channels on PM’s Independence Day Speech

    Govt. defends advisory to TV news channels on PM’s Independence Day Speech

    NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari today staunchly defended the advisory issued by his Ministry asking news television channels to make a distinction between a speech delivered by the Prime Minister from the ramparts of Red Fort on Independence Day and speeches made by different political leaders.

     

    He said at a press meet here that the President’s address to the nation on the eve of Republic Day or the Prime Minister’s address on Independence Day were not speeches made as leaders of any party but as leaders of the nation. It was therefore wrong to draw parallels between these speeches and those made by leaders of different political parties.

     

    At the same time, he drew attention to the word ‘advisory’ and said the Ministry’s viewpoint was meant to be just that and not any dictat to the media.

     

    He said the present government had always stood for freedom of the media and would continue to do so.

     

    Referring to a question about a film on Sardar Patel, he said that the National Film Development Corporation would consider such a proposal if any filmmaker plans to do so.

     

    He reiterated that while the United Progressive Alliance had always given newspaper advertisements on the birth and death anniversaries of eminent leaders, but it was the previous National Democratic Alliance which had failed to do so, according to figures given by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity.

     

    Referring to the government’s view on opinion polls conducted by different media publications before the elections, he said that his party was not opposed to them but it could not be denied that such polls could be manipulated. He said the Congress party’s stand on this had been consistent. He said that the Central Election Commission had in fact sought the opinion of all political parties on this issue. While the stand of his party was consistent, the Bharatiya Janata Party had been opposed to opinion polls in 2004 but had supported these in its present view given to the Commission.

  • I&B Ministry dictates channels to follow the programme code

    I&B Ministry dictates channels to follow the programme code

    NEW DELHI: Taking umbrage at constant comparisons of the speech of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Independence Day to that of other political leaders, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry today advised all News and Current Affairs TV Channels to follow the provisions of the Programme and Advertising Codes ‘scrupulously’.

     

    An advisory issued by the Ministry also said it was necessary to keep ‘the significance of the solemn days like Independence Day, etc. in view while carrying the speech of the Prime Minister and the President of India’.

     

    The Ministry said any further violation of the provisions of the Programme/Advertising Code would attract penal provisions stipulated in Section 20 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 and the terms and conditions of uplinking and downlinking guidelines.

     

    The advisory was issued in exercise of powers under Uplinking/Downlinking Guidelines issued by it, the terms of permission granted to the Channel to uplink or downlink TV Channels and under Section 20 of the Act.

     

    The Ministry said that the ‘telecast of this kind of programme on a day when the entire nation was celebrating its 67th Independence Day is highly objectionable. The Prime Minister spoke from the Ramparts of the Red Fort as the Prime Minister of the country and not as a leader of a political party.’

     

    ‘Therefore, on such a solemn day to put him in an artificial competition with anyone is not appropriate. On Independence Day when the Prime Minister addresses the nation and the country is united in the emotions of national integrity, patriotism and national fervor, the attempt by certain TV channels to denigrate the status of the Prime Minister can best be described as sensational against all norms of ethical journalism.’

     

    The Ministry pointed out that under Section 5 of the Act read with Rule 6 (1Xa) & (i) of the Cable Television Networks Rules 1994 as amended from time to time, ‘no programme can be transmitted/retransmitted on any Cable Service which contains anything offending against good taste or decency; and criticises, maligns or slanders any individual in person or certain groups, segments of social, public and moral life of the country.’

     

    It added that according to the basic conditions/obligations of permission/approval for
    Uplinking/Downlinking of TV Channels in India, the channels are bound to follow the Programme Code and Advertising Code as prescribed under the Act and rules framed there under.

  • Twitter Conference on Mahatma shows increasing use of social media by government

    Twitter Conference on Mahatma shows increasing use of social media by government

    NEW DELHI: With increasing dependence on online social media by the government, a Twitter conference to discuss the life and message of Mahatma Gandhi is to be held to mark the 144th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of the Mahatma.

    National Innovation Council chairman and the adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure to Improve Governance & Public Services Sam Pitroda will lead it from his Twitter handle @pitrodasam.

    The Twitter Conference to be held between 7.00 p.m. and 8.00 p.m. (Indian standard time) tomorrow is open to everyone. The hash tag for the conference is #Gandhi. The Twitter Conference is expected to be joined by Sabarmati Ashram Trustee Kartikeya Sarabhai, other Gandhians and several other people from across the globe.

    Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had recently launched a Gandhi Heritage Portal and it is now available at www.gandhiheritageportal.org. The Portal developed by the Sabarmati Ashram under the aegis of the Culture Ministry hosts Gandhi’s Autobiography in 22 languages. It also has placed the ‘Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi’ in three languages: English 100 volumes, Hindi 97 volumes and Gujarati 82 volumes. In all, the Portal presents more than five lakh pages, 21 films, 72 audio speeches of Gandhi and over a 1,000 photographs.

  • Doordarshan to live stream India’s 67th Independence Day celebration on YouTube

    Doordarshan to live stream India’s 67th Independence Day celebration on YouTube

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan, which is telecasting the Independence Day celebrations live from Red Fort, will in association with YouTube live stream the 67th Indian Independence Day celebrations and the Prime Minister’s address to the Nation for 2013.

     

    This association will enable millions of Indians worldwide to enjoy high definition live feed on Doordarshan’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/DoordarshanNational) and get front row access to all the celebrations lined up for the grand event.

     

    The live stream will be available on 15 August from 6:25 am onwards, capturing the flag-hoisting ceremony by the Prime Minister from the historic Red Fort, Delhi.
    Users will also be able to enjoy highlight clips from the Independence Day celebrations.

     

    Speaking on the association with YouTube, Doordarshan director general Tripurari Sharan said, “We are delighted to associate with YouTube to share the Independence celebrations with Indians across the globe. Streaming Independence Day celebration live on YouTube will help us to reach the global audience in a format which best suits today’s generation. Our streaming of the 67th Republic Day Parade also received a tremendous response with over 100,000 views. Our objective is to cater to our Indian and global audiences and take events of national importance not only to their TV screens.

     

    Commenting on the initiative YouTube director content partnerships Gautam Anand, said, “We are delighted to partner with Doordarshan to join the celebration of India’s 67th Independence Day live from the historic Red Fort on YouTube. This is the first time we are live streaming India’s Independence Day celebrations and we hope that our users will enjoy the telecast wherever they’re in the world.”

  • AIR, DD to beam President’s address and PM flag hoisting on 15 August

    AIR, DD to beam President’s address and PM flag hoisting on 15 August

    NEW DELHI: All India Radio and Doordarshan will beam the message of President Pranab Mukherjee to the nation on the eve of Independence Day on 14 August.

     

    The flag hoisting ceremony and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s message to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort will also be beamed live on 15 August.

     

    While the President’s address will be from 7:00 pm on 14 August in English followed by a Hindi translation, the Independence Day programme will commence from 06:25 am.

     

    AIR will broadcast both the events on all its medium wave channels including the Indraprastha channel and Vividh Bharati, and also on the two FM channels, FM Gold and FM Rainbow, apart from all regional kendras.

     

    The regional channels will broadcast translations in regional language of the President’s broadcast. Doordarshan will telecast the events on DD National, DD News, DD Bharati, and DD Sports.

     

    Both AIR and DD will also beam a round-up of the events all over the country later in the evening on 15 August.