NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) on Friday declared that ministries, departments of the central government, state governments, and union territory (UT) administrations or entities related to them would not be allowed to enter into broadcasting or distribution of broadcasting activities.
An advisory issued by the ministry on Friday further stated that in case central ministries, states, UTs and
entities related to them are already broadcasting their content, it would now be done through the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati. The ministry has set December 31, 2023, as the deadline to complete the exercise as per the advisory.
The ministry said that the decision had been taken according to recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the Supreme Court judgment and the legal opinion given by the Ministry of Law and Justice.
The apex court’s judgement, cited in the advisory, states that public service broadcasting should be in the hands of a statutory corporation or corporation set up under a statute. The constitution of such corporations or corporations should be such to ensure their impartiality in political, economic, and social matters and on other public issues and they should promote pluralism, and diversity of opinions and views.
“As per the existing policy guidelines for setting up of community radio in India, government universities, colleges, schools, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, central / state universities, including autonomous bodies and agricultural universities are eligible for setting up of community radios,” reads the advisory.
TRAI had also recommended that the government agencies and any joint ventures of the central government and the private sector should not be allowed to enter into the business of broadcasting and/or distribution of TV channels.
“Entry of central/state/UT governments into the business of broadcast for educational purposes should be done through the Prasar Bharati route... Till the engagement with Prasar Bharati gets in place, it needs to be ensured that uninterrupted viewing of ongoing education channels and other programmes is carried on smoothly,” it says.