MUMBAI: Union information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani on Friday said the government saw agencies including the Censor Board “as facilitators” within the ambit of the law. Irani was speaking at a World Economic Forum-India Economic Summit session moderated by film maker Karan Johar in New Dlhi.

She added that the government would consider a suggestion to help bring out a television series on freedom fighters to be telecast on the pubcaster Doordarshan.

Defending the central government on demonetisation and the way Good and Services Tax (GST) regime was implemented, she said that the NDA was voted to power to change the status quo by taking difficult decisions. She said that those decisions were taken with a view to simplify the tax regime, increasing tax compliance, widening the tax base and increasing productivity.

Revitalising Doordarshan: At an earlier event -- CyFy 2017, by Observer Research Foundation, Irani had said that the government was planning to revitalise Doordarshan. She spoke of the government's problems in improving the functioning of the Doordarshan as it was under the jurisdiction of an autonomous body -- the c
However, Irani made it clear that she would also like the Doordarshan to be a world-class channel which Indians and the diaspora would be proud of.

The government, the minister said, was also planning to promote positive storytelling, and added that it would promote the film "Lunchbox" at the upcoming Goa International Film Festival. India, she said, had several good writers, actors, and other creative artistes capable of making world-class films, but the problem arose when the producer looked at the balance sheet.

The minister opined that the social media by and large had brought balance with the main media, since it could criticise biased articles and commentaries in newspapers which was not possible a few years ago. She agreed with the Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt who had said: "The norms and values of the internet should be the values and the norms of society."