Controversial clauses of Broadcast Bill may be dropped: Dasmunsi

New Delhi, Aug 26: Some of the most controversial provisions of the Draft Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill might be dropped altogether, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi has said.

The Minister has also assured that the Government will not interfere in the news and current affairs programme, and the proposed Broadcast Regulatory Authority of India will be autonomous in the same way as the Press Council of India.

He said all the controversial clauses were open to correction or rejection.

The assurances were given out in an interview to the 'Devil's Advocate' Programme of the CNN-IBN to be broadcast on Sunday at 2030 hrs.

Specifically referring to Clauses five and 38 which empowers the government to issue binding directions in the interest of decency and morality and suspend or revoke a channel's licence if its programmes are considered prejudicial to friendly relations with a foreign country, Mr Dasmunsi made it clear that these were only draft proposals and they could be amended, altered or dropped.

On the Clause 24, which empowers a sub-judicial magistrate to seize the equipment of a televison channel on the same ground as above, the Minister said the clause was being debated and might be amended or altogether deleted.

Regarding the Clause 10 of the draft Bill which requires channels to ensure that a minimum of 10 per cent of their programming is public service content or socially relevant, the Minister said there will be no mandate in the final bill. He said he was in favour of leaving this to the good sense of the channel owners.

However, the Minister insisted that the Government had the right to prescribe guidelines and norms to evaluate the broadcsting content as will be conferred on it by Clause nine(vi) of the Bill.

''Throughout the world, every government has this right, but it should not have the right to interfere in the system and functioning of editorial and management...'' he said.

When asked about Clause 6 of the Bill, which requires satellite channels to share certain national or international live sporting broadcast rights with Doordarshan without the satellite channel's advertisements, Mr Dasmunsi said he did not think that Doordarshan should encroach on their advertisement. Asked if it was fair that the DD should have the right to insert its own advertisement and make money out of sporting rights it did not own, he said: ''I fully agreee with you. Let them(Doordarshan) show the game but we should not impose any penalty on them (satellite channels). My view is that the Doordarshan should carry the prime important events but will negotiate with them (satellite channels) not to encroach on their advertisements.'' Mr Dasmunsi also said that Clause 7 of the draft Bill which requires cable operators to show five Doordarshan channels on the prime band, including the Lok Sabha channel, was under negotiation and he was in favour of greater flexibility.

''On this matter I am interacting with the cable operators groups. At the end of the discussion I will arrive at a decision but at the moment I cannot say because we do feel there should be some flexibility of time and hours and no insistence that this time you must show it,'' he said.

UNI