LOK SABHA
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?`
(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.