NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has been asked by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry to examine whether central or state governments and their entities can enter the television broadcasting and distribution sectors.

Even as the Government has always held the view that central and state governments should not be allowed to enter this arena, the latest action appears to have been triggered by demands from the West Bengal and Tamil Nadu governments to set up their own television channels. The Ministry also admitted that it had received similar requests from other entities of the central government.

The issue of granting permission to state governments or its organs to run Cable TV Networks has been drawing attention of the ministry from time to time particularly with reference to the TRAI recommendations restricting such entities from entering into broadcasting and distribution activities.

The Ministry has therefore sought the views of TRAI regarding the entry in the broadcaster sector of central government ministries and departments / central government-owned companies / central government undertakings / joint venture of the central government and the private sector / central government funded entities; and state government departments/ state government-owned companies / state government undertakings / joint venture of the state government and the private sector / state government funded entities.

TRAI in its recommendations on ?Issues relating to entry of certain entities into Broadcasting and Distribution activities? dated 12 November 2008 was of the view that the state government and their organs may not be permitted to enter into broadcasting and distribution activities.

Under the policy guidelines for uplinking and downlinking of television channels, an applicant seeking permission to set up an uplinking hub / Teleport or uplink/downlink a TV Channel should be a company registered in India under the Companies Act 1956 irrespective of its management control.

The move assumes significance in view of significant growth in the broadcasting sector at a time when the number of TV channels and cable connections in India have grown exponentially.

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NEW DELHI: There is no proposal at present to permit community radio stations to broadcast news, even as the government has decided to permit FM radio stations in Phase III to carry All India Radio on ?as is where is? basis.

Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources said that community radio stations are required to preserve all programmes broadcast by the CRS for three months from the date of broadcast, for purposes of monitoring.

Nothing should be included in the programmes that may amount to attack on religions or result in promoting communal disharmony.

Any violations of the Programme or Advertising Codes can suo moto be placed by the Ministry before the Inter-Ministerial Committee.

NEW DELHI: Minister of State S Jagathrakshakan who had been moved from Information and Broadcasting Ministry in the reshuffle has been allocated the portfolio of Commerce and Industry.

After the reshuffle on 28 October, Jagathrakshakan had been given the New and Renewable Energy portfolio.

In another change, Minister of State Milind Deora who is MoS in the Communications & Information Technology has also been given the portfolio of Shipping.

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Thursday told the Delhi High Court that it has written to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and others for stopping misleading commercials in media claiming magical cures for diseases.

It has come to the notice of the Drugs Control department that several persons/firms are giving advertisements in the electronic media as well as in the print media about certain drugs/articles/machines whose usage, as per their claims, would lead to the cure of such diseases, disorder or condition.

"These advertisements are often published with a view to misleading the general public," the Delhi government told Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw.

The Court was hearing a public interest litigation seeking prosecution of self-proclaimed godman Nirmaljeet Singh Narula, alias Nirmal Baba. The case was disposed of after the Court was told that no material was found to try him for allegedly duping people in the garb of providing magical treatment. The government filed its reply after the High Court had on May 16 issued notices to it and others on the PIL filed by A K Jain through his lawyer Sugriv Dubey.

The government also said that besides the Ministry, it has also written to Press Information Bureau, Press Council of India, and Advertising Standards Council of India for bringing the information to the knowledge of "media houses that such commercials are in contravention" of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act.

"The Act prohibits the advertisement of certain drugs for treatment of certain diseases, disorders," the Drugs Control Department said.

NEW DELHI: The Press Council of India (PCI) has again urged the Union Government to bring all media, including the electronic and social media, under its purview.

The PCI said it had asked the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to carry out necessary amendments in this regard.

The PCI said that experience had shown that "the claim of the broadcast media for self-regulation is futile and meaningless, because self-regulation is an oxymoron."

The PCI referred to recent incidents where social networking sites were used to spread rumours that triggered exodus of people belonging to north-eastern states to justify its demand for widening its area of operation and said there should not be any "dilly-dallying" in the matter by the Government.

The statement said the PCI had resolved that the "Government of India be requested to initiate suitable legislation to amend the Press Council Act, 1978, by bringing the electronic media (both broadcast and social media) within the purview of the Press Council Act, and renaming it as The Media Council."

The PCI also sought more powers for itself, the statement said, adding that it had passed a resolution to this effect at a meeting in the capital. "Journalistic ethics apply not only to the print media but also to the electronic media, and hence there is no reason why electronic media be not regulated by a statutory body, when the print media is regulated," it said.

PCI Chairperson Justice Markanday Katju has in the past also expressed views that the electronic media should be under the purview of the council.

The PCI also gave reasons for passing the resolution to include the electronic and the social media within its ambit. "When the Press Council Act was enacted, there was no electronic media, and hence there was no need for any legislation for regulating the electronic media. Subsequently, the electronic media has come into existence. Journalistic ethics apply not only to the print media but also to the electronic media," it said.

"All social activity has to be regulated. Regulation is different from control. In control, there is no freedom, while in regulation, there is freedom but it is subject to reasonable restrictions in the public interest," the PCI statement said.

The Press Council also said that it was in favour of only regulation and not control, and that this regulation should be by an independent statutory authority like the Press Council of India and not the government.

The Council said that it presently has 28 members (apart from the Chairman), of which 20 are representatives of the Press. These 20 members are not appointed by the government but elected by press bodies. All important decisions are taken by majority vote. If the electronic media is also brought under the Press Council (to be named The Media Council), the electronic media will also have their representatives in the Council," it said in its statement.

"In recent times, experience has shown that the unregulated electronic media is playing havoc with the lives of the people. An example is what happened to the people of North-East," the PCI statement said.

"Hence, the Press Council resolved that now the time has come when there should not be any dilly-dallying in the matter by the Government, and the amendments to the Press Council Act, as proposed above, should be made forthwith," the PCI said.