Lok Sabha Question No. 6311 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-12
Subject: Women in Media
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: KRISHNAN NARAYANASAMY RAMACHANDRAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6311 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12/04/2017

## WOMEN IN MEDIA

## 6311.  SHRI  K.N.RAMACHANDRAN:

## Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

- (a) whether the  media is portraying women indecently;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (c) the action taken by the Government on such motivated propaganda against women; and
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to safeguard the safety/modesty of women?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to ( d): 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 including content regarding portrayal of women in various Programme and Advertsement on TV channels.

Rule  6(1)(k)  of  Programme  Code  specifically  provides  'No  programme  should  be carried in the cable service which denigrates women through the depiction in any manner of the figure of a women, her form or body or any part thereof in such a way as to have the effect of being indecent, or derogatory to women, or is likely to deprave, corrupt or injure the public morality or morals.'

Rule 6(2) of Programme Code provides that the cable operator should strive to carry programmes  in  his  cable  service  which  project  women  in  a  positive,  leadership  role  of sobriety, moral and character building qualities.

Rule 7(2)(vi)  of Advertising Code provides that 'No advertisement shall be permitted which  in  its  depiction  of  women  violates  the  Constitutional  guarantees  to  all  citizens.  In particular,  no  advertisement  shall  be  permitted  which  projects  a  derogatory  image  of women. Women must not be portrayed in a manner that emphasizes passive, submissive qualities  and  encourages  them  to  play  a  subordinate,  secondary  role  in  the  family  and society.  The  cable  operator  shall  ensure  that  the  portrayal  of  the  female  form,  in  the be pleased to state:

programmes  carried  in  his  cable  service  is  tasteful  and  aesthetic,  and  is  within  the  well established norms of good taste and decency.'

Action  is  taken  whenever  any  violation  of  Programme  and  Advertising  Codes  is brought to the notice of the Ministry. Details of action taken on violation of Programme and Advertising Codes by private TV channels for telecast of content of indecency/obscenity/vulgarity in TV programmes and Advertisements in the last three years and the current year are enclosed at Annexure.

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, inter-alia, deal with the  complaints  relating  to  portrayal  of  women  in  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  nonnews & 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.

The  existing  provisions  contained in the Programme & Advertising Codes and the existing  mechanism  are  considered  adequate  to  regulate  content  of  private  satellite  TV channels including safeguarding the positive portrayal of women.

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## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE AS REFERRED TO IN PARTS (a) to (d) OF LOK SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 6311  FOR 12.04.2017

Details of action taken on violation of Programme and Advertisement code by private TV  channels  for  telecast  of  content  of  indecency/obscenity/vulgarity  in  last  three years and current year.

Year - 2014

|   S.No. | Name of the Channel   | Nature of violation                                                                                       | Details of action taken                                                          |
|---------|-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | WB                    | Telecast of a "V/UA" certified film "It's a Boy Girl Thing" showing obscene and women denigrating content | An order dated 16.01.2014 was issued for taking the channel off air for one day. |
|       2 | Lemon News            | Telecast a news report, revealing the identity of the sexually abused women                               | A warning dated 10.03.2014 was issued to channel                                 |
|       3 | Amrita TV             | Telecast of 'A' Certified film, 'The Don'                                                                 | A warning dated 27.03.2014 was issued to channel                                 |
|       4 | All channels          | TV Channels continue Telecast Films without displaying CBFC Certificates.                                 | An Advisory dated 29.05.2014 was issued to all TV Channels.                      |
|       5 | Vasanth TV            | Telecast a programme called 'Vaimaye Vellum' revealed the identity of sexually abused minor children      | A warning dated 27.08.2014 was issued to the channel                             |

Year 2015

|   S.No. | Name of the Channel   | Nature of violation                                                                                               | Details of action taken                                                                                                  |
|---------|-----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|       6 | NTV                   | Telecast a song-based programme 'Cine Colors'                                                                     | An order dated 19.01.2015 was issued to the channel for taking the channel off air for seven day.                        |
|       7 | NTV                   | Telecast of news report revealed the identity of sexual harassment minor boy                                      | A Warning dated 23.03.2015 was issued to channel                                                                         |
|       8 | Satlon News           | Telecast of News report about a private corporate party organised in a five star hotel on the Pune-Mumbai highway | An order was issued on 27.03.2015 to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for 30 day.  |
|       9 | Jai Hind              | Telecast of 'A; certified film, titled 'Hai Harithe'                                                              | An order was issued on 07.04.2015 to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for one day. |
|      10 | Russia Today TV       | Telecast of obscene programme 'Crazy Alert'                                                                       | An Advisory dated 06.07.2015 was issued to the channel.                                                                  |
|      11 | A2Z News TV           | The Channel telecast news reports on various date and revealed the identity of Sexually assaulted minor victims   | A warning dated 07.08.2015 was issued to the channel.                                                                    |

## Year 2016

|   S.No. | Name of the Channel      | Nature of violation                                                             | Details of action taken                                                                                                                                                                    |
|---------|--------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|      12 | Care World               | Telecast of a programme "Kya Karun Main AB?" on unnatural sex.                  | A warning dated 24.05.2016 was issued to the channel.                                                                                                                                      |
|      13 | F TV                     | Telecast of a programme namely fotos in alleged violation of the programme code | An Advisory dated 25.05.2016 issued to the channel                                                                                                                                         |
|      14 | CVR English News Channel | Telecast of News bulletins showing disturbing visuals of dead bodies            | An Advisory dated 25.05.2016 issued to the channel                                                                                                                                         |
|      15 | Oscar Movies             | Telecast of 'A' certified films on various dates.                               | An Advisory dated 06.06.2016 issued to the channel                                                                                                                                         |
|      16 | Care World               | Telecast of obscene programme 'Kya Karu Main Aab'                               | An order was issued on 02.11.2016 to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for seven days.                                                                |
|      17 | News Time Assam          | Telecast of news report revealing the identity of minor boy                     | An order dated 2.11.2016 was issued to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for one day ( to carry out the three awards of one day off air concurrently) |
|      17 | News Time Assam          | Telecast of News bulletins showing disturbing visuals of dead bodies            | An order dated 2.11.2016 was issued to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for one day ( to carry out the three awards of one day off air concurrently) |
|      17 | News Time Assam          | Telecast of News story defaming the image of MLA and denigrating women.         | An order dated 2.11.2016 was issued to the channel to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of channel for one day ( to carry out the three awards of one day off air concurrently) |
|      18 | MBC TV                   | Telecast of news report revealing the identity of sexually assaulted victims.   | A Warning dated 29.11.2016 issued to the channel                                                                                                                                           |

## Year 2017

| S.No.   | Name of the Channel   | Nature of violation   | Details of action taken   |
|---------|-----------------------|-----------------------|---------------------------|
| NIL     | NIL                   | NIL                   | NIL                       |

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