I&B Ministry
Merger of schemes under MIB lead to reduction to one-third of 11th Plan
NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has brought down the number of schemes under it from 65 in the Eleventh Plan to just 21 in the 12th Plan by the year 2016-17 by merely merging together under umbrella schemes the various schemes of its different media units with similar objectives and activities.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee for Information Technology which goes into issues relating to I and B was informed that the ministry carried out a comprehensive rationalization and restructuring of the Plan schemes to achieve the thrust areas of the 12th Five Year Plan.
The ministry said this is expected to result in optimum and effective utilization of outlay earmarked and better monitoring of Plan Schemes at implementing stages during the year 2016-17.
Progress in the achievement of physical and financial targets in respect of schemes is now being reviewed by the secretary in the ministry to boost utilization in the current fiscal.
In addition, the Financial Advisor of the ministry and the concerned joint secretaries also convene meetings at their level in order to review the performance of the plan schemes. In such meetings representatives from various media units under the ministry and implementing agencies are also called for discussion, whenever required.
|
(Rs. in crore) Sector wise Budgetary Support
|
BE 2015-16
|
RE 2015-16
|
Expenditure as on 31.03.2016
|
BE 2016-17
|
|
Information
|
70.65
|
193.42
|
188.20
|
183.02
|
|
Film
|
208.55
|
77.31
|
69.01
|
141.48
|
|
Broadcasting
|
||||
|
Main Sectt.
|
30.30
|
25.50
|
23.41
|
25.50
|
|
Prasar Bharati
|
605.03
|
453.77
|
453.77
|
450.00
|
|
Total Broadcasting
|
635.33
|
479.27
|
477.18
|
475.50
|
|
Total
|
914.53
|
750.00
|
734.39
|
800.00
|
Thus, allocation for Broadcasting and Film Sectors has been reduced compared to last fiscal, i.e. 2015-16 but the Information Sector has got an enhanced allocation in 2016-17.
When questioned about the reduction in other sectors and increase in the Information sector, the ministry informed the committee that the sector-wise fund allocation are based on the following rationale:
1. The scheme-wise expenditure trend during last four years of the 12th Five Year Plan;
2. Overall ceilings approved by Expenditure Finance Committee/Standing Finance Committee/Revised Cost Estimates, for the 12th Plan (2012-17) with respect to each scheme;
3. Annual scheme-wise budget proposals from different wings based on their expenditure capacity;
4. Full provision for continuing schemes for completion of the schemes.
5. Overall ceiling fixed by the ministry of Finance.
As the Revised Cost Estimates (RCE) of sub-scheme “People’s Empowerment through Development Communication (Conception and Dissemination) (Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity” was under consideration at the beginning of 2015-16, an amount of Rs 131 crore for this scheme was kept in the scheme “National Film Heritage Mission” of the film sector. After the RCE of this sub-scheme was approved by the Finance ministry, the allocation for this sub-scheme was enhanced to Rs 151 crore. Consequently, allocation with respect to information sector at revised estimate stage increased to Rs.193.42 crore and the allocation for the film sector decreased to Rs.77.31 crore.
When questioned whether the present allocation of Rs.800 crore for the current fiscal is sufficient to carry out the planned activities, the ministry told the committee that given the availability of resources and the set priorities of the government, the financial allocations are made to the ministries/departments which are mostly less than what is proposed to the Finance ministry.
The Budget Estimates allocation of Rs 800 crore for the year 2016-17 for the I and B Ministry is less than the proposed amount of Rs 1,240.69 crore.
However subject to the resource constraint, the ministry has tried to optimize the reduced allocation of Rs 800 crore amongst the schemes of the ministry sector-wise, by allocating funds to the media units in a rational manner to overcome the difficulty of reduced allocation.
Subject to the availability of the budget, the ministry will make all out efforts to reach out to the people of the country and fulfill their mandate of the public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati.
I&B Ministry
AIDCF moves TDSAT over Waves plan to stream linear TV channels
Industry body flags regulatory gap as OTT push sparks broadcast turf war
NEW DELHI: The battle between traditional television distributors and digital platforms has found its way to the courts, with the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) moving the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against Prasar Bharati’s latest OTT play.
At the heart of the dispute is Waves, Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform, which has invited applications to onboard linear satellite TV channels. Aidcf, which represents multi-system operators (msos), argues that this move sidesteps existing broadcasting rules and risks tilting the playing field in favour of digital platforms.
The federation’s petition hinges on a key provision in the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines, 2022. Clause 11(3)(f) allows broadcasters to downlink channels only if they provide signal decoders to recognised distribution platforms such as MSOS, DTH operators, hits operators and iptv platforms. OTT platforms, aidcf points out, do not feature on that list.
In simple terms, AIDCF’s argument is this: if OTT platforms are not officially recognised distributors, they should not be receiving broadcast signals in the first place. By inviting channels onto Waves, the federation claims, Prasar Bharati is opening a backdoor that lets broadcasters bypass long-standing rules.
The concern goes beyond legal interpretation. Aidcf says OTT platforms currently operate without a clear regulatory framework, allowing them to expand into traditional broadcasting territory without the compliance burden that cable and satellite operators must carry. That, it argues, creates an uneven contest.
There is also a warning for broadcasters. If they provide signal decoders to an OTT platform like Waves, they could risk breaching the very conditions under which their downlinking permissions were granted.
For its part, Prasar Bharati’s Waves initiative is positioned as a step towards wider access and digital reach, bringing linear television into the streaming era. But critics say the move blurs the line between regulated broadcasting and largely unregulated streaming.
The matter is expected to come up before tdsat next week. The outcome could do more than settle a single dispute. It may help define how India regulates the fast-merging worlds of television and OTT, where the lines are getting fuzzier by the day and the stakes, sharper than ever.
