Centre soon to bring law to regulate digital media: Anurag Thakur

Jaipur, Nov 23: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday said that the Centre is working on a bill to regulate digital media.

He said that earlier there used to be one-way communication of news, but with the development of electronic and digital media, communication of news has become multidimensional. Now even small news of a village reaches the national platform through digital media, he said.

In a statement, he said that the government has left most of the print, electronic, and digital media to self-regulation. ''Digital media presents opportunities as well as challenges. To have a fine balance, government will see what can be done on this.

''I would say that whatever changes have to be brought in law, we will bring that to make your work simple and easy. We are working to introduce a bill,'' Thakur said at an event organised by Hindi news daily Mahanagar Times.

Thakur also said that the process of registration of newspapers would be simplified, and the central government will soon bring a new law to replace the 1867 Press and Registration of Books Act.

Under the new law, it will be possible to complete the registration process, which now takes about four months, in a week through online mode. The Union Minister said that the central government is working to bring 'Ease of Doing Business' and 'Ease of Living' and the change in registration of companies was a step in that direction.

The minister also said that the newspapers should bring the ''right news'' before the general public at the ''right time.'' He said that along with the shortcomings of the government, the public welfare schemes and policies of the government should reach to the common people.

He urged that the media to do its work ''responsibly'' and avoid creating an atmosphere of ''fear and confusion.'' He said that the centre also takes care of the interests of journalists and added that financial assistance was provided to the families of the journalists who died of Covid. Apart from this, the centre has now stated work on accrediting journalists working in digital media as well, Thakur said.