In a meeting with representatives of the television industry yesterday, I&B minister Ambika Soni said she has no intention of imposing any kind of censorship on the media, according to a person who attended the meeting. The person asked not to be named. Soni told the delegates that the times have changed, and together, the government and the industry needs to tackle the issue of deciding what is acceptable content on television.
She would not like to impose a content regulator on the industry, but welcomed the delegates to tell the ministry if they would like an independent quasi-government regulator or they would rather evolve self censorship mechanisms and agencies. Industry delegates have committed to evolve a consensus and keep the ministry informed on their preferences regarding the matter.
Industry delegates were pleased by the minister’s transparent approach to the problem, our source said, adding that she seemed to be under no political pressure to regulate content.
Content regulation has become a hot topic of discussion after some MPs demanded a discussion on reality shows saying they were crossing the boundaries of acceptable standards. The government has agreed to a discussion on a future date. Subsequent to the discussion, the I&B ministry had issued a show cause notice to Star Plus channel over their show Sach Ka Saamna.

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