The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is a branch of the Government of India is the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules and regulations and laws relating to information, broadcasting, the press and films in India.[1] as of May 2009, the head of the ministry is Cabinet Minister<Ambika soni>National Portal of India : Government : Who's Who</ref>. The Ministry is responsible for the administration of Prasar Bharati-the broadcasting arm of the Indian Government. The Censor Board of India is the other important body under this ministry being responsible for the regulation of motion pictures shown in India.
[edit] Mandate
The mandate of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting are:[1]
- News Services through All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan(DD) for the people
- Development of broadcasting and television.
- Import and export of films.
- Development and promotion of film industry.
- Organisation of film festivals and cultural exchanges for the purpose.
- Directorate of Advertising and visual publicity DAVP
- Handling of press relations to present the policies of Government of India and to get feed-back on the Government policies.
- Administration of the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867 in respect of newspapers.
- Dissemination of information about India within and outside the country through publications on matters of national importance.
- Research, Reference and Training to assist the media units of the Ministry to meet their responsibilities.
- Use of interpersonal communication and traditional folk art forms for information/ publicity campaigns on public interest issues.
- International co-operation in the field of information & mass media.
[edit] Criticism and controversies
The Ministry has often been criticized for the actions of the various bodies under it:
- Doordarshan, the Indian Public Television Broadcaster, has posted losses for several years despite being granted exclusive access to several events including cricket matches and having the largest terrestrial network in the country.[2].
- The decision of the Censor Board of India to censor some films due to political reasons like foreign ones while allowing several others which may often contain several suggestive and deeply disturbing scenes has been questionable.[3].[4]
- Arbitrary actions taken in the past to ban television channels which ostensibly showed explicit scenes, as well as actions taken to ban general use websites like Yahoo Groups, have been widely criticized in most quarters of the country.[5] [6]
- All India Radio is the only radio broadcaster allowed to broadcast news within India, though this is likely to change with the recommendations of the TRAI. [7]
[edit] Former I&B Ministers
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b About Us Main Page
- ^ Doordarshan
- ^ Censor Board of India
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_India
- ^ AXN says sorry for 'obscene' TV
- ^ BBC NEWS | South Asia | Outrage over India Yahoo ban
- ^ Let private FM radio stations air news: Trai-India-The Times of India
