New TV broadcast guidelines | content in national interest

Recently the government of India has issued  guidelines for broadcasting institutes and TV channels related to uplinking and downlinking. The government is stating that this initiative will helps in many ways from nation building to strengthening unity in the diversity and it is all about in the people interest.

Uplinking means when an electronic message is sent to satellite and an electronic message is received from satellite is called downlinking.

What are the guidelines for broadcasting institutes and TV channels ?

All TV channels including both private and public have to broadcast at least 30 minutes about national interest and social relevance programs in a day.

In order to preparedness, the government will give time to all TV channels for making the contents.

The new guidelines includes 8 subjects.

i. Dessimination of education and literacy

ii. Agriculture and rural development

iii. Science and technology

iv. Welfare of women

v. Welfare of the weaker sections

vi. Environment protection

vii. Protection of cultural heritage

viii. National unity

Information and broadcasting (I&B) has made relaxations in its laws, extended permission period to 5 years from 1 year.

There was a common penalty for all types of violations but now it has different penalties for different violations.

Reduction in work loads of the TV channels. No requirement of prior permission for live telecasting. And language can be changed with no prior permission.

Compliance of the new guidelines

It is put under the supervision of information and broadcasting ministry.

The guidelines will be same for both public and private TV channels. Failed to abide the guidelines will amounts to fines, suspension or sometime cancellation of licence.

It's all depends upon the degree of violations.

Importance of New TV channels and broadcasting guidelines.

There are more than 870 TV channels currently running in India. This guidelines come after 11 years. The new guidelines envisioned national integrity, unity and strengthening of national unity. In this new guidelines there is no requirement of prior permission for live telecasting. Before it took too much time for permission. 

Why the new guidelines are being criticised ?

Airwaves or frequency is a public property and it should be used in public interest. Media pays huge money to purchase the frequency for broadcasting for that the money is procured from advertisement, the only source of media. This is how, the new guidelines will affect the revenue source of media.