Indian gov't to monitor TV contents

NEW DELHI. March 15. KAZINFORM Indian Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni Tuesday said that the Congress- led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government will constitute a panel headed by a retired judge to regulate television content in the country. Kazinform refers to Xinhua.

Soni was reacting to numerous complaints received by Members of Parliament (MPs) on increasing vulgarity in TV reality shows.

"We are right on the threshold of announcing a self-regulatory mechanism to monitor content on television," Soni told the Lok Sabha or the Lower House of the Parliament.

Replying to questions raised by MPs on the action taken by the government to monitor TV programs, the Information and Broadcasting Minister said that the panel once formed would take up complaints from the civil society.

Earlier, Congress leader N. Chaluvaraya asked Soni what the government was doing to check vulgarity in TV reality shows. Janata Dal United party leader Sharad Yadav also joined the bandwagon.

He asked for strengthening of censorship for vulgar content and having a censor board for television programs as is the case with feature films.

Soni clarified that there was no censor board for TV and that the content on TV was regulated by the Cable Regulatory Act.

"The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will not do anything that is later struck down by courts," Soni said. Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.xinhuanet.com