The government has taken action against a total of 52 channels during this period for violating programme and advertisement code.
The Narendra Modi government at the Centre has issued warnings and ordered 18 television channels to go off air since 2014 for broadcasting obscene content denigrating women.
The government has taken action against a total of 52 channels during this period for violating programme and advertisement code.
Of these, the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry had issued orders to six channels, asking them to go off air for a certain period, ranging from a day to a month. In all, the I&B ministry has asked 11 channels to go off air between 2014 and 2017 for programme and advertising code violations.
However, no complaint of such broadcasts has been registered in 2017.
In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Minister of State for I&B Rajyavardhan Rathore said, "The existing provisions contained in the Programme & Advertising Codes and the existing mechanism are considered adequate to regulate content of private satellite TV channels including safeguarding the positive portrayal of women."
Aside self regulatory bodies for monitoring broadcast of content such as the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) and Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC), the government body Electronic Media Monitoring Centre also keeps a tab on 900 TV channels to monitor advertising and programme code violations.
The I&B ministry has constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) under the chairmanship of Additional Secretary, Ministry of I&B to take cognizance suo-motu or look into specific complaints regarding violation of the Programme and Advertising Codes.
What do the programme and advertising code say on women:
Rule 6(1)(k) of Programme Code states, "No programme should be carried in the cable service which denigrates women through the depiction in any manner of the figure of a women, her form or body or any part thereof in such a way as to have the effect of being indecent, or derogatory to women, or is likely to deprave, corrupt or injure the public morality or morals."
Rule 6(2) of Programme Code provides that the cable operator should strive to carry programmes in his cable service which project women in a positive, leadership role of sobriety, moral and character building qualities.
Rule 7(2)(vi) of Advertising Code provides that "No advertisement shall be permitted which in its depiction of women violates the Constitutional guarantees to all citizens. In particular, no advertisement shall be permitted which projects a derogatory image of women. Women must not be portrayed in a manner that emphasizes passive, submissive qualities and encourages them to play a subordinate, secondary role in the family and society.
The cable operator shall ensure that the portrayal of the female form, in the programmes carried in his cable service is tasteful and aesthetic, and is within the well established norms of good taste and decency."
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 "The Narendra Modi government at the Centre has issued warnings and ordered 18 television channels to go off")
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