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Tag: Rajyavardhan Rathore

  • Complaint in Punjab against Ram Gopal Varma for remarks about ‘MSG-The Messenger’

    Complaint in Punjab against Ram Gopal Varma for remarks about ‘MSG-The Messenger’

    NEW DELHI: A first information report (FIR) has been filed in Ludhiana’s Daba Police station against filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma at for allegedly criticising the head of the Dera Sacha Sauda Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insaan and his film MSG – The Messenger through Twitter.

     

    The complaint was filed by Jasbir Singh of Lohara village under Section 298 (uttering words to hurt religious sentiments) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 66 (sending offensive messages through communication services and devices) of the Information Technology Act.

     

    Varma reportedly already has a complaint lodged against him for his tweet about Lord Ganesha on Ganesh Chaturthi.

     

    Varma tweeted on 13 February allegedly negatively about the movie as well as about Singh making use of certain offensive words.

     

    Meanwhile, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore today told the Rajya Sabha that Section 5B of the Cinematograph Act 1952 and Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983 and the Guidelines for certification of films lay down principles of certification of film which also includes that visuals or words contemptuous of religious groups are not presented. 

  • Over 3000 posts in AIR, DD revived for filling through direct recruitment

    Over 3000 posts in AIR, DD revived for filling through direct recruitment

    NEW DELHI: The Government has said that 3067 of the 3452 identified as essential category posts in All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan to be filled through direct recruitment have already been revived.

     

    Another 38 middle/senior level programme posts have also been revived through deputations, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told the Lok Sabha on 27 February.

     

    The Minister admitted that there are 16,764 vacancies in All India Radio and Doordarshan as against a sanctioned strength of 46,756. 

     

    Rathore said that the Sam Pitroda Committee had recommended a complete manpower audit of the pubcaster and also asked to draw up a re-deployment scheme. The Ministry had already asked Prasar Bharati to prepare an action plan in this connection, the Minister said. 

     

    In June last year, the then I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar had given his clearance in principle to setting up Recruitment Boards for Prasar Bharati, and Indiantelevision.com had learnt that a total of 1154 technical posts had been cleared by the relevant selection committees.

     

    These include programme executives, transmission executives, technicians, engineering assistants and duty officers, sources in Prasar Bharati said.

     

    The pubcaster has not had any senior-level recruitment since it came into being in September 1997, and sources said that those posts, which could not be filled out of these, were held up because there is no Prasar Bharati Recruitment Board.

     

    As of early 2013, there were 1362 vacancies in Group A, 1,584 in Group B, 4863 in Group C and 2272 in group D in All India Radio. In Doordarshan, 724 posts are vacant in Group A, 1140 in Group B, 2871 in Group C, and 1451 in Group D.

     

    All India Radio and Doordarshan had total staff strength of 33,800 against a total sanctioned strength of 48,022, leaving a gap of 14222 posts.

     

    The most critically affected areas were the Programme Wing and the News Services Division (AIR)/DD News.

     

    The Committee for Information Technology in 2012 regretted that Prasar Bharati had failed to live up to the assurance given by then Prasar Bharati CEO that the Recruitment Boards for Prasar Bharati would be set up by 31 March, 2011.

     

    It is understood that the Union Public Service Commission and SSC had both refused to select for a non-Governmental organisation, thus creating a new problem for the Ministry/Prasar Bharati.

     

    The Proposal for setting up a Prasar Bharati Recruitment Board was approved by Prasar Bharati Board on 21 July, 2010 and discussed in the Ministry and a final proposal was referred to the Department of Personnel and Training on 15 February, 2011. DOP&T concurred with the proposal in June 2011 and the comments of the Department of Expenditure (DOE) were also received on 28 September 2011.

     

    The DoE had requested that a separate proposal be formulated for creation of posts for the secretariat of Prasar Bharati Recruitment Board and also requested for drafting of agreement containing terms and conditions of the members of the Board. This had been done and the proposal sent to DoE in February 2012 and then to Law Ministry.  

  • No role in CBFC’s decision to put list of offensive words on hold: I&B

    No role in CBFC’s decision to put list of offensive words on hold: I&B

    NEW DELHI: Even as the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has put on hold the list of 28 “objectionable and abusive” words to be banned from Indian films, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has denied any role in this.

     

    A Ministry official told Indiantelevision.com that any decision in this regard may have been taken at the level of the Board or by its chairman Pahlaj Nihalani, who had issued the list, leading to protests from some members.

     

    Interestingly, in reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha in this regard on 24 February, Minister of State for I&B Rajyavardhan Rathore had said, “CBFC under the Ministry certifies films for public screening in accordance with the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983. Section 5B of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 provides principles for guidance in certifying films. Guidelines for certification of films notified under the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules lay down among other things that CBFC shall be guided by the following principles in this regard: (i) human sensibilities are not offended by vulgarity, obscenity or depravity; and (ii) such dual meaning words as obviously cater to baser instincts are not allowed.”

     

    Interestingly, the Minister refrained from making a comment on the list issued by Nihalani.

     

    Meanwhile, it is learnt that Nihalani will be meeting Ministry officials in New Delhi in the next few days.

     

    Earlier in a circular to the producers’ association and regional officers, the Board listed several “objectionable words” that are being used in films and directed its regional officers to ensure a ban on the list of cuss words. It also aimed to seek more conformity from directors and scriptwriters on cultural matters and political correctness. It also said ‘Mumbai’ should be used in place of ‘Bombay’ in films.

     

    The list led to a Twitter war where some members said Nihalani had taken the decision unilaterally.

     

    However, Nihalani told Indiantelevision.com that he was within his rights to issue the list as he was only following the powers given to him under the Cinematograph Act and was only referring to words that the Certification Guidelines do not allow.

     

    It is learnt that during a several-hours-long meeting of CBFC in Mumbai earlier this week, several members of the board opposed the move to impose such a ban. It is understood that status quo would be maintained and the list will be put on hold, the source said.

     

    The letter by Nihalani directed its regional officers not to issue certificates to films, which use these words, which are abuses in Hindi and English, and it has also been specified that double meaning words, violence against women and glorification of bloodshed should not be allowed.

  • English ads on TV only a small fraction as compared to Hindi & regional ads: Rathore

    English ads on TV only a small fraction as compared to Hindi & regional ads: Rathore

    NEW DELHI: The audio-visual medium received 55.7 per cent of the government advertisements in Hindi as compared to 32.38 per cent in the print medium in rupee terms during 2014-15 until 13 February.

     

    Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told the Parliament that only 2.79 per cent advertisements were given in English to the audio-visual medium as compared to 28.53 per cent in the print medium.

     

    The regional electronic media received 41.49 per cent of the advertisements as against 30.09 per cent to the print medium.

  • Age of superannuation for all employees continues to be 60 years: Prasar Bharati

    Age of superannuation for all employees continues to be 60 years: Prasar Bharati

    NEW DELHI: In an attempt to put an end to the controversy that had arisen around six months back about announcers and radio jockeys in All India Radio (AIR), the Government told Parliament today that “the age of superannuation for all employees of Prasar Bharati (including announcers and newsreaders) is 60 years.” 

     

    Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said this information had been conveyed to the government by Prasar Bharati. 

     

    In October last year after talks of voice modulation tests raised controversy, All India Radio had said it will not consider the age of its radio jockeys when conducting skill and voice modulation tests.

     

    Noting that ‘monotony is venom for any broadcaster’, AIR Director General F Sheheryar had told indiantelevision.com at that time that a broadcaster needs to recreate itself to remain popular. 

     

    While stressing that none of the radio jockeys were permanent employees and were on contract for presenting programmes for a maximum of six days a month, Sheheryar said that some of the presenters had gone to court in Kolkata but had lost the case. 

     

    He stressed that most of them were either employed elsewhere and working part-time for AIR or were doing this work as a hobby or to supplement income. ‘None of them are employees of AIR,’ he emphasised. 

     

    He said that the rule relating to voice modulation and skill tests for radio jockeys beyond 35 years of age had always been there, but AIR will concentrate on the tests instead of considering the age. 

     

    Sheheryar had said, “AIR has no plans whatsoever to sack anybody. We would conduct a voice test for all and ensure each casual/ RJs/Announcer gets a chance to prove their versatility in front of the microphone.”

     

    Earlier in mid-June, AIR had clarified that the directive asking certain presenters and radio jockeys to quit because they have crossed the age bar for the channels in which they were working was only implementation of the relevant audition rules.

  • Arun Jaitley bats for making printed material available in digital medium

    Arun Jaitley bats for making printed material available in digital medium

    NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley today stressed that books and other knowledge products presently in printed format ought to be made available through digital medium in view of the shift in technology paradigms.

     

    The new digital medium would provide enhanced accessibility and affordability of information to a wider audience.

     

    The publication India 2015 brought out by Publications Division and New Media Wing reflected a great tradition of authentic and updated information on different aspects of India’s development.

     

    Jaitley said the digital version of ‘The Making of the Constitution of India’ documentary was a fine instance of utilizing the digital media for archival and preservation of knowledge traditionally held in printed form. Digitization of printed books having valuable information on India’s development would be useful reference material for the youth and to the audience worldwide.

     

    Despite multiple platforms, the relevance of the traditional formats still existed as in the case of India/Bharat 2015 Reference Annual.

     

    As a rich repository of relevant information, India/Bharat 2015 Reference Annual would be a good addition to all the libraries, the Minister added. Minister of State Rajyavardhan Rathore was also present on the occasion. 

     

    Speaking earlier, I&B secretary Bimal Julka said the unique feature of this year’s Reference Annual was the addition of a special chapter on flagship programmes of the Government such as Swachh Bharat Mission, Make in India and Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. A diary of national events have also been added this year.

     

    To ensure mobility and easy accessibility, the e-version of the Reference Annual would be made available in the next year. Digitizing, archiving, and preserving rich knowledge content available in print format would be given priority. 

     

    India/Bharat – 2015 holds place of pride among the annual publications of this genre as being an exhaustive and authentic repository of information about the activities, progress and achievements of various ministries and departments of Government of India during the year. The publication deals with all aspects of developments from rural to urban, industry to infrastructure, science and technology, art and culture, polity, economy, health, defence, education and mass communication.

     

    The 59th year of publication of Reference Annual has seen an increase in its print order to 11,5000 copies this year up from 37,000 copies in 2007.

  • Indian films are carriers of culture across the world: Rajyavardhan Rathore

    Indian films are carriers of culture across the world: Rajyavardhan Rathore

    NEW DELHI: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said that the Ministry was keen on organising Indian Film festivals all over the world as films are carriers of culture, tradition and values.

     

    Indian films have been a soft medium to reach out to a global audience. More film festivals would be organised in the future and at the same time, there would be enhanced participation in the Film festivals abroad. 

     

    Inaugurating the Indian Panaroma film festival and the renovated facilities at the Siri Fort auditorium complex in Delhi, he claimed that the upgraded projection and sound facilities at Siri Fort Auditorium had positioned the venue amongst the top 50 auditoriums within the country that screened films for public viewing.

     

    Organised by Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the festival would screen 26 Feature Films and 15 Non-Feature Films. The Opening Film of the Festival was Gour Hari Dastaan – The Freedom File directed by Ananth Narayan Mahadevan. The eight day festival would showcase all the films selected in the Indian Panorama section as part of the 45th International Film Festival of India, IFFI 2014. The Director of the opening film and lead actor Vinay Pathak were present on the occasion.

     

    The renovated infrastructure reiterated the vision of the Ministry to establish world class viewing facilities for screening films that incorporated technical brilliance in totality. The Siri Fort auditorium had set high standards which were normally found in the corporate domain. The digital projection and Dolby sound system would enable cinema lovers to enjoy a memorable viewing of movies.

     

    He said the films representing the Indian Panaroma section had a profound impact on the different International Film Festivals abroad. The effort would now focus on mainstreaming the impact of Indian Culture through the medium of Cinema.

     

    I&B secretary Bimal Julka said the Indian Panaroma showcased high quality films abroad. The Panaroma section reiterated the power of Indian regional cinema. Films were the appropriate medium to celebrate India’s unity and diversity. The renovated facilities at Siri Fort had been done keeping in mind the needs of good viewing for cinema lovers. 

     

    The Siri Fort Auditorium has lately gone through a complete make-over with state-of-the-art equipments being installed in the complex. In the Plan Scheme 2013-2017, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has made these efforts to modernize the Projection and Sound System of all the Four Auditoriums here. In Audi-1 & 2, high-end Digital Cinema Projectors of 4K resolution have been installed, while other two small auditoriums (AUDI 3 & 4) now have the latest Digital Cinema Projectors of 2K resolution. Besides projection system, Cinema sound and PA systems have also been upgraded. The Ministry has spent nearly Rs five crore to make this prestigious Auditorium Complex of International standards. 

     

    Audi-2 is now equipped with the best digital cinema projection technology along with Silver Screen, 3-D Projection System and Dolby Atmos Sound System. Dolby Atmos is considered to be the best sound effects presently available in the globe and only a few theatres in India have this sound system. Besides, Siri Fort Complex has preserved the traditional 35 mm and 16 mm analogue projection to enjoy the old classics of Indian Cinema which are available in analogue format only. It makes the Complex equipped to project films in both digital and analogue formats.Besides technical upgradation, the security arrangements, auditorium roofs and sanitary fittings have also gone through re-modulling. Aesthetical upgradation of Auditorium –II has been done by providing new chairs, carpet and projection friendly look. 

  • Jaitley launches mobile app of the GoI calendar 2015 for the first time

    Jaitley launches mobile app of the GoI calendar 2015 for the first time

    MUMBAI: Two of the biggest initiatives taken by the new government since it took charge in June this year have been – Swachch Bharat and Digital India.

    And taking the philosophy forward in the coming years will be the new calendar launched by the government. The calendar was unveiled by Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information and Broadcasting Arun Jaitley.

    The calendar combines the conventional and technological modes of communicating the initiatives of the government. While the theme of ‘Swachh Bharat’ is portrayed visually in the conventional mode, the mobile application of the calendar reiterates the government’s vision of taking the idea of ‘Digital India’ forward.

    Jaitley said, “The digital version of the calendar 2015 reflects the vision of the government in taking forward the benefit of technology in information dissemination as no one could defy the growth and movement of technology. Technology today was operating on a real time basis.”

    The Minister also lauded the efforts of Directorate of Advertisement and Visual Publicity, DAVP, for developing the digital version of the calendar with socially relevant messages which would be accessible on real time basis through mobile phones.

    The mobile app of the calendar provides access to the latest tweets from the PMO, the YouTube channel of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and the news/updates on 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 app was developed for android platforms initially which would be made available on other mobile platforms also in due course of time.

    The calendar has been developed on the theme of “Clean India Green India” with focus on “Swachhta” and environment issues. For instance, the January page of the calendar displays the launch of the “Swachh Bharat Mission by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

    Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore, and Ministry of I&B secretary  Bimal Julka along with senior officials of the I&B Ministry were also present at the unveiling.

     

  • AIR to resume Gyanvani if dues are cleared by IGNOU: Rajyavardhan Rathore

    AIR to resume Gyanvani if dues are cleared by IGNOU: Rajyavardhan Rathore

    NEW DELHI: All India Radio has pursued the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) for early deposition of outstanding dues in order to resume the Gyanvani educational channel.

     

    On 1 August 2001, AIR had informed the government that IGNOU signed infrastructure sharing and consultancy agreement with them for 37 stations of IGNOU’s Gyanvani FM Radio channels. Under this agreement, IGNOU has to pay a licence fee to AIR.

     

    However, IGNOU had discontinued the payment of licence fee with effect from 1 April 2013 resulting in accumulation of outstanding dues of the tune of Rs.21,64,12,770 as of 30 September 2014.

     

    Repeated reminders were sent by AIR for remittance of the outstanding dues and joint coordination committee meeting was held at the Electronic Media Production Centre, IGNOU on 29 October 2013 for the same.

     

    Minister of state for information and broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Rathore gave assurance that AIR could resume Gyanvani if dues are cleared by IGNOU to Parliament.

     

    The notice for discontinuation was issued to IGNOU on 12 September 2014 and thereafter the operation of Gyanvani FM channels was discontinued with effect from 1 October 2014.

     

  • No progress in Arasu application for MSO licence for DAS

    No progress in Arasu application for MSO licence for DAS

    NEW DELHI: There is no progress in the application of Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited for the MSO licence, if one goes by the reply given in Parliament by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore.

     

    He said the matter is being examined in the light of the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regarding entry of government entities in the broadcasting and distribution activities.  TRAI had in reports in 2008 and early this year reiterated that government entities and political parties should not be permitted to enter the broadcasting sector.

     

    The Ministry had received a letter of 3 June 2014 from the then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha for grant of multi system operator registration to Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited for operating in the Digital Addressable System (DAS) notified areas of Tamil Nadu.

     

    The Ministry has so far granted 129 permanent MSO registrations for operating in DAS notified areas. The details are available on the Ministry’s website www.mib.nic.in.

     

    “No licences have been granted in respect of DTH services during the last three years,” the Minister said. DTH licenses are granted under “DTH guidelines issued on 15 March 2001.”

     

    Under the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act 1995, Cable Operators are required to get registrations from Post Offices. However, under the amendment in Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act 2011, the multi system operators are required to get registration from the Ministry for operation in Digital Addressable Systems (DAS) notified areas.