Lok Sabha Question No. 451 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-19
Subject: Television Debates on News Channels
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Adoor Prakash

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 451 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19/07/2022

## TELEVISION DEBATES ON NEWS CHANNELS

451.  ADV. ADOOR PRAKASH:

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has noticed that the television debates on news channels allowing participants to air communally provocative and derogatory remarks have increased recently;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  of  incidents  noticed  along  with  the  action  taken  by  the Government against  the  channels  which  aired  such  debates  during  the last three years and the current year;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  received  complaints  against  any  news channels which aired such provocative debates recently;
- (d) if  so,  the  details  of  channels,  debates aired  and  the  action  taken by  the Government; and
- (e) the  details  of  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  prevent  the  news channels from airing such debates on communal issue in future?`

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER  OF  YOUTH  AFFAIRS  AND  SPORTS,  (SHRI  ANURAG SINGH THAKUR)

(a):  All programmes telecast on private satellite TV channels are required  to  adhere  to  the  Programme  Code  laid  down  in  Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 framed under the Cable Television          Networks          (Regulation)          Act,            1995.  The Programme Code inter alia provides that no programme should be telecast  which  contains  attack  on  religions  or  communities  or visuals  or  words  contemptuous  of  religious  groups  or  which promote communal attitudes.

(b)  to  (d):    The  Government  has  an  institutional  mechanism  for taking action in respect of private TV channels which are found to violate  the  Programme  Code.  During  the  last  three  years  and current year, the Government has taken action in respect of 163 cases by issuance of Advisories, Warnings, Apology Scroll Orders and Off-air Orders. (e):   The Programme Code under the Cable Television Networks Rules,  inter  alia  contains  broad  guidelines  relating  to  content broadcast on private Television channels. The Central Government has amended the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994  vide  notification  No.  G.S.R.  416(E)  dated  17.06.2021  to provide  for  a  statutory  mechanism  for  redressal  of  grievances/ complaints of violation of Programme Code and Advertising Codes of  the  broadcast  by  Television  channels.  The  Rules  provide  for three  level  complaint  redressal  mechanisms,  Level  I  by  the broadcaster, Level II by the self regulating bodies of the broadcasters, and Level III by oversight mechanism of the Central Government. The Ministry also  issues  Advisories  from  time  to  time  to  private satellite  TV  channels  for  adhering  to  the  Programme  Code.  This Ministry  had  issued  an  Advisory  on  23.04.2022  to  all  private satellite TV  channels  to ensure  strict compliance  with  the Programme  Code  under  Cable  Television  Networks  (Regulation) Act, 1995 and rules framed thereunder.

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