Lok Sabha Question No. 550 (STARRED), answered on 2017-04-12
Subject: Monitoring Centre
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: HARI MANJHI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No. 550 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12/04/2017

## MONITORING CENTRE

## *550.  SHRI    HARI MANJHI :

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has set up any monitoring centre to monitor the content of programmes being telecast on television in the country;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  powers  delegated  to  the  said  monitoring centre;
- (c) the fund allocated for the said purpose; and
- (d) the further steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING (SHRI M. VENKAIAH NAIDU)

(a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## STATEMENT AS REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 550 FOR ANSWER ON 12.04.2017

(a)  to  (d):  Yes  Sir.  The  Government  has  established  Electronic  Media monitoring  Centre  (EMMC)  to  monitor  the  content  in  electronic  media.  The centre  has  been  mandated  to  monitor  private  TV  channels  and  report  any violation of Cable Television Rules observed or reported to the Ministry.

During  the  12 th plan  period  an  amount  of  Rs  64.20  crores  had  been incurred to develop infrastructure and enhance the monitoring capacity of the centre.    As  on  date  EMMC  has  acquired  content  monitoring  facility  for monitoring  and  recording  of  900  TV  channels.  Based  on  the  report  from EMMC, action is taken by the Ministry.

All  programmes  and  advertisements  telecast  on  private  satellite  TV channels and transmitted/re-transmitted through the Cable TV network   are regulated  under  the  Cable  Television  Networks  (Regulation)  Act,  1995  and Cable Television Network Rules, 1994 framed thereunder.  The Act does not provide for pre-censorship of any programme and advertisement telecast on such TV  channels. However, it prescribes that all  programmes  and advertisements telecast on such TV channels should be in conformity with the prescribed Programme Code and Advertising Code enshrined in the said Act and the rules framed thereunder, which contain a whole range of parameters to regulate programmes and advertisements

An  Inter-Ministerial  Committee (IMC) has been set up in the Ministry to look  into  the  specific  complaints  or  suo-motu take cognizance of violation of Programme  and  Advertising  Codes.  The  IMC  has  representatives  from  the Ministries of Home Affairs, Defence, External Affairs, Law, Women and Child Development,  Health  &  Family  Welfare,  Consumer  Affairs,  Information  & Broadcasting and a representative from the industry in Advertising Standards

Authority  of  India  (ASCI). Apart  from  this,  the  Ministry  has  also  issued directions to States  to  set up  District  level  and  State  level  Monitoring Committees to regulate content telecast on cable TV channels.

Government  encourages  self-regulation  in  broadcasting  industry.    The following  are  the  self-regulatory  mechanisms  established  by  industry  bodies which  deal  with  complaints  about  programmes  and  advertisements  on  TV channels:

- (i)       News  Broadcasters  Association  (NBA)  -  a  representative  body  of news and current affairs TV channels has set up News Broadcasting Standards    Authority  (NBSA),  headed  by  retired  Supreme  Court  / High  Court  judge,  to  consider  complaints  against  or  in  respect  of broadcasters  relating  to  content  of  any  news  and  current  affairs telecast on TV channels.
- (ii)       Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), which is a representative body of non-news & current affairs TV channels, has set up Broadcasting Content  Complaints  Council  (BCCC)  headed  by  retired  Supreme Court / High Court judge to examine the complaints relating to content of television programmes.
- (iii)       Advertising  Standards  Council  of  India  (ASCI),  established  in  1985, has set up Consumer  Complaints Council (CCC) to consider complaints in respect of advertisements.

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