News Broadcasting
Paid news: Election Commission for banning govt ads in media 6 months before polls
NEW DELHI: Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi said the Commission was in favour of banning all government advertisements in the media at least six months before any general elections to check the scourge of paid news.
The Commission has also recommended that opinion polls should be banned, since at present only exit polls have been banned.Furthermore, he said that the regulation for stopping campaigning 48 hours before the polls should also apply to the advertisements that still appear in the print media even on the day of the polls.
He said it was much more than a cliché that media is one of the important pillars of democracy. Media is not only a watchdog of the welfare of the citizens but it also plays a vital role to educate them, make them more aware about what is happening around the country and the world, and also to motivate them to become informed and better citizens.
Quraishi, who was giving the Convocation Address at the 43rd Convocation of the Indian Institute of Mass Communications here, said the stories about paid news had proved embarrassing as the role of the media during polls should be honest and transparent.
He said the Commission continued to receive complaints from politicians who said mediapersons were wanting money for covering campaigns, and threatened to write negative news if no money was paid.
Noting that 95 per cent of the media was still against such malpractices, he said the media was the eyes and ears of a democracy. In fact, television reports had often helped the Election Commission in checking malpractices.
Efforts had to be made to ensure that the Fourth Estate did not become the Fifth Column of democracy, he added.
He said the media can help educate the people and, therefore, the Commission had created a separate division for this purpose. Media had, in fact, brought about an attitudinal change and people were now informing the Commission about the use of money power.
Information and Broadcasting Ministry Secretary Raghu Menon, who is Chairman of the IIMC, said the Government was working on a bill to upgrade IIMC to ensure it is recognised as an institution of national importance and starts awarding Degrees instead of diplomas.
He said that apart from Dhenkanal in Orissa, temporary campuses of IIMC had already commenced in Aizawl and Amravati, and two other centres would be shortly started in Kottayam and Jammu.
The Indian media and entertainment industry will grow at a cumulative rate of 12.4 per cent reaching to Rs 1040 billion in 2014. He said, in order to achieve and sustain this growth rate, the industry requires a large number of trained media professionals.
Menon said, IIMC can play a greater role in providing quality trained professionals to the industry in adequate numbers.
He added that the dissemination of news should not merely be a corporate function but also serve a larger social good.
IIMC Director General Sunit Tandon said a total of 324 students had been given diplomas for 2010 and 75 per cent of them had already been absorbed in various organisations. The IIMC today boasted of having former students in 113 countries.
A total of 318 students were conferred PG Diplomas at the Convocation. 23 students of PG Diploma courses 2010-11 in Hindi, English, Oriya, Radio & TV Journalism and Advertisement & Public Relations were also given awards on the occasion.
News Broadcasting
Induction cooktop demand spikes 30× amid LPG supply concerns
Supply worries linked to West Asia tensions push households and restaurants to turn to electric cooking alternatives
MUMBAI: As geopolitical tensions in West Asia ripple through global energy supply chains, the familiar blue flame in Indian kitchens is facing an unexpected challenger: electricity.
What began as concerns over the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has quickly evolved into a technology-driven shift in cooking habits. Households across India are increasingly turning to induction cooktops and other electric appliances, initially as a backup but now, for many, a necessity.
A sudden surge in demand
Recent data from quick-commerce and grocery platform BigBasket highlights the scale of the shift. According to Seshu Kumar Tirumala, the company’s chief buying and merchandising officer, demand for induction cooktops has risen dramatically.
“Induction cooktops have seen a significant surge in demand, recording a fivefold jump on 10 March and a thirtyfold spike on 11 March,” Tirumala said.
The increase stands out sharply when compared with broader kitchen appliance trends. Most appliance categories are growing within 10 per cent of their typical demand levels, while induction cooktops have witnessed explosive growth as households rush to secure an alternative cooking option.
Major e-commerce platforms including Amazon and Flipkart have reported rising searches and orders for induction stoves. Quick-commerce apps such as Blinkit and Zepto have also witnessed stock shortages in major metropolitan areas including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
What was once considered a convenient appliance for hostels, small kitchens or occasional use has suddenly become an essential addition in many homes.
A crisis thousands of miles away
The trigger for this shift lies far beyond India’s kitchens.
Escalating conflict in the Middle East has disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Nearly 85 to 90 per cent of India’s LPG imports pass through this narrow waterway, making the country particularly vulnerable to supply disruptions.
The ripple effects have been swift.
India currently meets roughly 60 per cent of its LPG demand through imports, and tightening global supply has already begun to affect domestic availability and prices.
Earlier this month, the price of domestic LPG cylinders increased by Rs 60, while commercial cylinders rose by more than Rs 114.
To discourage panic buying and hoarding, the government has also extended the mandatory waiting period between domestic refill bookings from 21 days to 25 days.
Restaurants feel the pressure
The strain is not limited to households. Restaurants, hotels and roadside eateries are also grappling with supply constraints as commercial LPG availability tightens under restrictions imposed through the Essential Commodities Act.
In cities such as Bengaluru and Chennai, restaurant associations report that commercial LPG availability has dropped by as much as 75 per cent, forcing many establishments to rethink their kitchen operations.
Some restaurants have reduced menu offerings, while others are rapidly installing high-efficiency induction systems, creating hybrid kitchens where electricity now shares the workload with gas.
For smaller eateries and roadside dhabas, the shift is less about sustainability and more about survival.
A potential structural shift
The government has maintained that there is no nationwide LPG crisis and has directed refineries to increase production to stabilise supply.
Nevertheless, the developments of March 2026 may already be triggering a longer-term behavioural shift.
For decades, LPG has been the backbone of cooking in Indian households. However, recent disruptions have highlighted the risks of relying on a single fuel source.
Increasingly, households appear to be hedging against uncertainty by adopting electric cooking options to guard against price volatility and delivery delays.
If the current trend continues, the induction cooktop, once viewed as a niche appliance, could emerge as a quiet symbol of India’s evolving kitchen economy.
