Cease broadcast activities, use Prasar Bharati route, states told
New Delhi, October 22
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued an advisory asking other Union Ministries, state governments and union territories administrations not to enter into any broadcasting or distribution of broadcasting activities on their own.
In the advisory, the ministry asked those broadcasting their content to route it through Prasar Bharati. It also asked entities distributing the broadcasting content to stop doing so by December 31, 2023. The advisory comes in view of some state governments launching educational channels which are available on DTH platforms.
The advisory is likely to impact Kalvi TV, an educational channel launched by the Tamil Nadu Government, which is available on some DTH platforms, and IPTV, launched by the Andhra Pradesh Government.
The advisory says only the central government, as per Article 246 of the Constitution, can legislate on such subjects. In 2012, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the broadcast regulator, had suggested that the central and state governments, their companies, undertakings, joint ventures with the private sector and entities funded by them should not be allowed to enter the business of broadcasting.
The advisory noted that the TRAI’s recommendations had been considered by the I&B Ministry.
The existing operational broadcasts in respect of some of the central government ministries and departments, and some state governments have already been brought under the ambit of Prasar Bharati through a memorandum of understanding to ensure the continuity of such societal initiatives, it said. The entry of central and state governments and UT administrations into the business of broadcast for educational purposes should be done through suitable agreements between Prasar Bharati and the governments concerned, the advisory said.
Housing plan brought big social change: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today participated in the ‘grih pravesh’ event of 4.51 lakh Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Rural (PMAY-Rural) beneficiaries in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district through video-conferencing. He said the scheme had become a major medium for bringing socio-economic change in the country while slamming the political culture of ‘revdi’ or freebies.
“The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana has become a major medium for bringing socio-economic changes in the country,” he said, while noting, “Earlier, governments made promises of poverty alleviation but it was only a political gimmick.”
