Lok Sabha Question No. 1694 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-28
Subject: Monitoring of Contents Broadcast on TV Channels
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: PARAYAMPARANBIL KUTTAPPAN BIJU

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1694 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28/12/2017

## MONITORING OF CONTENTS BROADCAST ON TV CHANNELS

## 1694.  DR. P. K. BIJU.:

## Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  set  up  any  mechanism  to  monitor  the  contents broadcast on TV channels in the country;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  of  this  mechanism  and  the  system  put  in  place  to  monitor  the contents through the same;
- (c) whether any norms have been fixed for broadcasting contents in the country;
- (d) if so, the details thereof ; and
- (e) whether the basis for fixation of these norms have been selected and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING [COL RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE (Retd.)]

(a)  to  (e):  Yes,  Madam. The Government has established Electronic Media  Monitoring Centre  (EMMC)  to  monitor  the  content  in  electronic  media.  The  Centre  has  been mandated to monitor content telecast on private TV channels and report any violation of Programme  and  Advertising  Codes  prescribed  under  the  Cable  Television  Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 framed thereunder, observed or reported to the Ministry.  As of now, EMMC does content acquisition of 798 channels for monitoring. Besides this, EMMC also monitors channels for particular live events as per Ministry's temporary uplinking permissions, issued from time to time.

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

-2- and the rules framed thereunder, which contain a whole range of parameters to regulate programmes  and  advertisements.  The  said  Codes  are  available  on  this  Ministry's website i.e. www.mib.nic.in .

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 and private FM Channels and CRS 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.

It is further stated that Hon'ble Supreme Court of India  in a judgement delivered on 12.1.2017 with regard to WP No.1024 of 2013 in the case of Common Cause vs UOI, has acknowledged the existing mechanism.

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