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Jaitley issues warning on titillating
programming
Indian information and broadcasting
minister Arun Jaitley issued a stern warning to TV channels
which are banking on nudity and semi-nudity or provocative
programming to attract audiences and generate viewership.
"People have protested about how some organisations
are taking advantage of liberal norms in India. Why should
you have a stripper in a airconditioner ad which was shown
recently on television? Why should a condom commercial be
so erotic and put on television for all to see," he
asked. "If fashion is to be marketed in terms of transparent
clothing, and every decency violated on TV screens, I don't
know if we can allow that. The cable and satellite industry
has to morally police itself. Also advertisers. There are
issues which affect our sensibilities. I don't think Indian
society is prepared for this. We want a liberal regime.
Hard censorship is abhorrent to any democracy. But if industry
is not interested then we may have to step in."
Jaitley was speaking while addressing
a gathering organised by FICCI on what Indian entertainment
should be doing to ensure rapid growth in the new millennium
on 30 March.
Jaitley was pretty caustic about his ministry's position
on this issue. Should the government step in when we have
control devices such as child locks, he was asked. Should
it not be the responsibility of the parent or adult?
He responded icicly: "The industry has absolutely no
responsibility does it? TV censorship in India is not in
the form of pre-censorship. It is like the green channel
in the Customs where the onus is on you to declare honestly.
But if we allow some channels which are not comlying honestly
than five others will get in and take advantage of our liberal
attitude. "
Going by Jaitley's statements
it is quite likely that the government may shortly come
out with a ban against the Michael Adam promoted Fashion
Television, which is generating high viewerships in India
mainly because of scantily clad models. Jaitley had banned
Russian channel TB6 last year because it showed pornographic
films and had ordered Indian cable networks to stop carrying
it on their networks. Most Indian cable TV operators have
complied since.
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