Should we do away with the I&B Ministry?

Should we do away with the I&B Ministry?

Debate

1. The Hindu Newspaper debates on whether India should do away with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

For:

2. Jaipal Reddy, a former I&B Minister is of the opinion that the I&B Ministry has to go as no advanced democracy has an I&B Ministry.
3. Sardar Vallabhai Patel was also the Minister of I&B apart from being the Home Minister.

• He used his I&B portfolio efficiently to reach out to the people with important messages during post-Partition riots, settling of migrants from Pakistan, integration of Princely States etc.
• It was an important link between the government and the people as the literacy rate and the circulation of newspapers was low.
• All India Radio(AIR) was the only institution which could pass on the government’s message to both the officials and the people.
• All India Radio made an important contribution to India’s culture by

(i)Collecting all available information on classical music in the country.

(ii)Getting Carnatic and Hindustani music recorded by Maestros.

• All India Radio also played a crucial role in bringing about the Green revolution by propagating new agricultural methods to the farmers directly.

4. Providing autonomy to public broadcasting:

• Jawaharlal Nehru, in 1949, said that the government’s final goal should be to endow AIR with the same autonomy and strength like BBC.
• B.G Verghese Committee was set up in 1970’s to look into the question of autonomy for AIR and Prasar Bharati.But its recommendations were took shape only in 1990’s.
• The Prasar Bharati(Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act was passed in 1990 which gave it more autonomy.

5. No advanced  democracy has a Ministry called Information and Broadcasting. Instead they have independent Commission. For example, The Federal Communications Commission of USA.

6.No institutions, especially, the Prasar Bharati, cannot enjoy true autonomy without financial independence. Citizens pay fees directly to the BBC which ensures its financial autonomy and ultimately independence.

7.Some people feel that the demand for autonomy is not as relevant today as it was a few years ago when the private channels were neither available nor as effective as they are today. But in other democracies, the presence or absence of private channels does not affect the autonomy of the public broadcasting agencies.

8.The autonomy of the public broadcasting service cannot be ensured as long as there is a Minister.

NO

9.Bimal Julka a former Secretary in the I&B Ministry and current Central Information Commissioner is of the opinion that instead of abolishing the I&B Ministry, the government should instead try to shape public perceptions through this channel to reflect the current realities.

10.The I&B Ministry is an apex body of the government to formulate and administer the rules, regulations and laws relating to information, broadcasting policy, and administration as enshrined in the transaction of business rules.

11.There has been proliferation of private media outlets such as television, FM radio, Web portals, and print and social media.

12.In the backdrop of growing private presence in the media field,the government, through the I&B Ministry with its vast information and broadcasting infrastructure, should ensure the optimal utilisation of this world and engagement with all the stakeholders.

13.The need for I&B Ministry:

• The government’s plays a crucial social role in reaching out to the people in inaccessible areas.
• Public perception,public order and national security are closely linked. This is being affected by sensational news being spread on the social media. Government must use the platform provided by the I&B Ministry to play a responsible role.
• Public perception is to be shaped so that they reflect the current reality and amplify the effectiveness of governance.

14. Issues plaguing the I&B Ministry:

• Outreach of AIR and Doordarshan
• Efficient use of  manpower
• Budgetary issues
• Issues relating to the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill of 2011;
• Cross-media ownership/cross-media monopoly in various segments;
• Coordination issues with cable and satellite channels;

15. Responsibilities of the I&B Ministry:

• Taking up the role of the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity and its spread amongst small, medium, and regional language newspapers.
• Ensuring that the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune becomes a centre of excellence in filming.
• Expanding the FM radio network.
• Increasing the spread of community radio services.
• Formulating a policy for introduction of mobile television
• Rationalisation of spectrum requirements for various broadcasting services
• Conversion of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication into an international media university
• Liaising with the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, the News Broadcasting Standards Authority, and the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council to integrate issues in TV programming and time bands.

16.Media should play a more sensitive and responsible role. Certain events cannot be ignored:

• The broadcasts by media during 26/11 helped the terrorists.
• Interviews with people after the hanging of Yakub Memon were regarded to be insensitive.
• The way media portrays crime against women and children are insensitive and irresponsible.

17.The present Central Information Commissioner feels that this is the right time for the I&B Ministry to prepare,plan and evolve a media strategy utilizing the vast pool of talent in the Ministry.The strategy can be implemented to achieve the objectives of the Ministry through various media platforms.

IT’S COMPLICATED:

18.Manish Tiwari, a former I&B Minister feels that the questions should not be whether the Ministry should be junked but how it should be reformed.

19.The Ministry with its present structure and role has outlived its utility to even effectively service the needs of the Union Government.

20.The primary functions of the I&B Ministry include:

• Administration of the print industry, the private broadcast industry, films and Prasar Bharati.
• Monitoring many autonomous institutions ranging from film institutes to the Registrar of Newspapers.
• Communicating to the people through the Press Information Bureau.
• Acting as the principal outreach mechanism of the government of the day.

21.Two arguments over media control.

(i)Against Media control

• The entire media space should be liberated from the control of the government.
• Everyone should be free to start any print, broadcast or digital media vehicle.
• Reasonable restrictions given in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution and the legal framework are enough to deal with errant media.

(ii)For Media control:

• Some people want every element of the media space to be controlled.

22.Mr Manish Tiwari feels that the solution lies in the middle path- in reforming certain aspects of the Ministry and thereby transforming it completely over time. Reforms should be done slowly and incrementally.

23.Issues to be debated and discussed:

• Whether the present Ministry is to be replaced by an autonomous and overarching media regulator which would look into both techno-economic issues as well as content.
• What about the cinema sector that is currently administered by the Ministry through the Central Board of Film Certification, the Censor Board regulated by the Cinematographic Act of 1952?
• What should be done about the Registrar of Newspapers for India which regulates the newspaper industry and controls the Press and Registration of Books Act of 1867?
• What about the current efforts to regulate the digital media space?

24.Suggestions:

• The Cinematographic Act can be repealed and the Censor Board  replaced with a Programme and Advertising Code similar to the television industry.
• Two sets of regulators can be brought in for the private television industry and radio—

(i)A Broadcast Regulatory Authority of India to perform licensing and other techno-commercial functions but with very restricted penal powers so as to preserve  the autonomy of the industry.

(ii)A self-regulatory framework with statutory backing to monitor content.

25.There can be no autonomy for Prasar Bharati as the funding continues to be routed through the Ministry, and the Minister remains accountable to Parliament for both its omissions and commissions.