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I&B moots regulatory body for TV content
NEW DELHI: The parliamentary consultative committee attached to India’s information and broadcasting ministry in a meeting earlier today came out in favour of forming a regulatory body to monitor unregulated content on television channels in the country.
The issue is being seen as another step taken by I&B minister Sushma Swaraj in recent times to have in place a legislation to regulate the broadcasting and cable sectors in a piecemeal fashion ahead of an omnibus legislation being proposed to govern the three sectors of media, information technology and telecommunications.
As per early information available with indiantelevision.com, based on feedback from government sources, the parliamentary panel, comprising of Members of the Indian Parliament, while voicing its concern over TV programmes which are not in consonance with Indian culture and have a negative effect on children, opined that the government must take steps to bring some order in this chaotic situation as current laws regarding programming lack teeth.
Several MPs had told Swaraj, according to her own admission in Parliament, that programmes on the small screen are becoming increasingly regressive and reflecting an aspirational culture that is very un-Indian.
During a debate on conditional access system in the Parliament’s Upper House earlier this month, one woman MP had even gone to the extent of saying that channels airing serials based on the ‘saas bahu’ theme should be banned.
During a debate on conditional access system in the Parliament’s Upper House earlier this month, one woman MP had even gone to the extent of saying that channels airing serials based on the ‘saas bahu’ theme should be banned.
During the same discussion on CAS, Swaraj, on being criticised by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for getting legislations passed in a piecemeal fashion, had said that the government or her ministry cannot wait endlessly for the Communications Convergence Act to be put in place. The proposed Act is aimed at addressing immediate concerns involving the broadcasting and cable sectors.
IT, telecom and parliamentary minister Pramod Mahajan had some time earlier told indiantelevision.com that he does not foresee the Communications Convergence Bill, envisaging a super-regulator for IT, broadcasting and telecom, being discussed by policy-makers in Parliament before May 2003.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
