News Broadcasting
Election Commision wants minimum punishment of 2 years in cases of paid news
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India has asked the Centre to impose a minimum punishment of two years to anyone found guilty of indulging in the malaise of paid news.
Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi said during a discussion here that the Commission could only act if it was given sufficient proof. He said the Commission had set up a Media Monitoring and Media Certification Committee to keep a check on the media during elections.
He also said new guidelines had been issued for publications owned by people associated with political parties.
He said there was also a proposal to ban government-sponsored advertisements relating to its achievements at least two months before the elections.
Qureshi was speaking at a discussion on ‘Paid News’ organised by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust after the screening of the hour-long film ‘Brokering News’ by Umesh Aggarwal exposing this malaise.
The film shows examples of how news is bought and sold in both the print and the electronic media by politicians, corporate houses, sportspersons, and even film personalities. It blatantly shows the link of some of the mediapersons to Niira Radia by screening clips of the telephonically conversations, apart from showing how TV channels help the stocks of certain corporate houses to rise by the way they present the programmes. There is also an example of the same article about a politician appearing on different days in different newspapers under different names.
The film also showed the case of Kurukshetra based print mediaperson Rakesh K Sharma who had been forced by his Hindi newspaper to collect money in the name of interviews or advertisements from politicians for almost six years, but quit his job to expose cases of paid news. Both Aggarwal and Sharma were present.
Others who took part in the discussion included Mint editor R Sukumar, Prasar Bharati Chairperson and former editor of Dainik HindustanMrinal Pande, and NDTV managing editor, special projects, Pankaj Pachauri, The Hoot editor Sevanti Ninan, which is a media watchdog publication.
Initiating the discussion, PSBT Managing Trustee Rajiv Mehrotra said the Trust gave full freedom to the filmmakers and did not interfere with the films once the script was given approval.
Senior journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta who was one of the two-member panel of the Press Council which went into the malaise, regretted that only a five-page statement had been issued to the media on the 71-page report.
Doordarshan Director General Tripurari Sharan said this film was very important for the public service broadcaster which would telecast the film. He said this may make people realise the importance of a public service broadcaster.
Pande applauded the courage of the filmmaker and said the real problem lay in the ownership pattern of the newspapers – particularly when the proprietor was himself the editor. She said there were also cases in Hindi publications of the editor holding shares in the publication, which automatically meant his first loyalty was to the shareholders.
She said part-time journalists or stringers were crucial to the malaise of paid news since their real loyalty did not lie with the newspaper.
Pachauri admitted that self-regulation did not work, and felt cases of political paid news was worse than business paid news. The media had been hijacked by corporates and politicians, and the media had become a political party in itself. He cited the case of a sting operation run by a channel at the behest of the largest opposition party.
He felt the need of an independent Press Commission in the country to check such issues.
Though not very impressed by the film, Sukumar admitted that there were cases of paid news in the corporate sector but wanted more checks and balances. He regretted there was no law to prevent advertisements coming in the name of news, and admitted to huge advertisement pressure on business newspapers.
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.
