Centre directive to states on monitoring content of channels

The Centre has asked all states and Union Territories to constitute committees to monitor violations of rules by private satellite television, FM and community radio channels, according to an official document.
In a letter, Joint Secretary in the information and broadcasting ministry Manoj Kumar Pingua said it has been observed that some states were yet to constitute the State and District Level Monitoring Committees and noted that some of the constituted committees were "not functioning actively".
"It is reiterated that wherever such monitoring committees have not been constituted, they may be constituted expeditiously and ensured that they function effectively," he said in the letter uploaded on the ministrys website today.
Private satellite channels are required to follow the Programme and Advertisement Codes under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, while the FM and community channels follow the All India Radio (AIR) Broadcast Code.
Pingua said monitoring committees have been set up in 19 states, five UTs and 327 districts.
While pronouncing judgement in a case, the Supreme Court had in January last year advised the government to formalise the existing complaint redressal mechanism for content monitoring of private satellite TV channels and to finalise a similar framework for private radio stations as well.

The government also asked the existing monitoring committees for television content to keep a watch on the content aired by private FM and community radio stations as well.