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NEW DELHI: Indian policy-makers seem to be having second
thoughts on a draft broadcasting legislation that was proposed
to be introduced in Parliament session, which started Monday.
In the list of business that Parliament is to transact during
the monsoon session, the Broadcast Bill, which the information
and broadcasting ministry had proposed to introduce in the
House, is missing.
A senior government official admitted that there might be some
“re-think” on a draft that had been sent to other
ministries for feedback and the I&B ministry now “doesn’t
seem to hurry through the Bill.”
This is an ample indication that the Bill, termed draconian
by the media industry, is highly unlikely to be introduced during
the monsoon session, giving the media industry to lobby more
effectively against and attempt to muzzle the media.
Still, the government official added that not listing the
Bill at this juncture doesn’t mean that it cannot be
pushed through in Parliament for discussion later towards
the end of the ongoing session.
“It all depends on what the I&B ministry thinks.
If it thinks more consultation is needed on the draft, then
it would do so. If it can complete all the work quickly and
get the Cabinet’s nod, then the Bill could be introduced
in Parliament this session only,” the official explained.
Last week a senior I&B ministry official had told Indiantelevision.com
that feedback from other ministries were still awaited and
the compilation work would take more than 15 days time.
The government has been facing flak from the industry and
elsewhere too on the clandestine manner in which it drafted
a Cabinet note on the Broadcast Bill.
Last week, as part of government-industry interaction, I&B
secretary assured Confederation of Indian Industry’s
media committee that a concept note on the draft Broadcast
Services Regulatory Bill would be circulated for getting views
of the media industry as inputs into the government's decision-making
process.
Arora had lamely justified restrictive provisions in the proposed
Bill as ones designed to facilitate the industry's growth
and not to micro-manage its functioning.
He had explained the need for the Bill and a proposed media
regulator with wide ranging powers was to provide “legislative
backing to executive decisions” taken by the government
in recent times.
This legislative backing was required, he had told captains
of the media industry, as most of the executive decisions
have been challenged in court and the government has been
asked to show legislative sanction for its actions.
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