News Broadcasting
NBA urges PM to restrain PCI Chief from making ‘unwarranted comments’
NEW DELHI: The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ask Press Council of India chairman Justice Markanday Katju to “exercise restraint on commenting upon areas which are outside his jurisdiction”, reacting strongly to the demand for converting the Council into a Media Council.
In a letter to Singh, the NBA has said that he should “intervene and request the chairman of the Press Council of India to engage himself constructively with print media matters, which is the mandate he has under the Press Council Act and not to exceed his remit.”
“We are sure under your leadership no unilateral steps will be taken to regulate the electronic media as we are consciously trying to regulate with the sole endeavour to improve broadcasting standards, which are consistent with the tenets of the freedom of speech articulated in our Constitution,” the letter says.
Noting that both the Broadcasters Editors Association (BEA) and the Editors Guild have already express their unhappiness with the view of Justice Katju, the NBA has expressed “distress” over the “unwarranted comments” of Justice (Retd) Katju in his recent interview with Karan Thapar on CNN IBN that the attempt of the NBA to adopt self-regulation under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd) JS Verma, former Chief Justice of India “simply isn‘t working”; adding that the reason it is not working at all is that “there must be some fear in the media” which can only happen with a “danda”, which he was “magnanimous to say will only be used when required”.
“We are unable to understand how Katju has come to this conclusion that the self-regulatory mechanism adopted by News Broadcasters Standards Authority has failed. It is important to note that the NBSA was established in October 2008 whereas the statutorily set up Press Council of India has been in existence since 1978,” the letter says.
It has been pointed out that the NBSA in the last three years has been consciously making all efforts to ensure that broadcasting standards of news channels improve.
The NBA drew up its Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards and has issued various specific guidelines and advisories for covering specific situations and events, including for instance reporting on emergency situations, for covering the Ayodhya Judgment of the Allahabad High Court, the Telangana issue and reporting court proceedings etc. “It is a matter of great satisfaction that the Guidelines issued by the NBA for covering the Ayodhya Judgment were quoted verbatim and made part of the judicial order by the Allahabad High Court”, the letter says.
The Court had in fact said that “It is not our intent here to lay down any reformist agenda for the media. Any attempt to control and regulate the media from outside is likely to cause more harm than good. The norms to regulate the media and to raise its professional standards must come from inside.”
The NBSA since its inception in 2008 had considered and reviewed 198 complaints received by member broadcasters/Authority. In the year 2010-11 the Authority considered and reviewed 152 complaints; suo motu action has also been initiated in appropriate cases; and orders have been passed against nine broadcasters so far, wherein the errant news channels have been reprimanded, censured and even fine of Rs100,000 has been imposed. The NBA regulations also allows the Authority “to recommend to the concerned authority for suspension/revocation of license of such broadcaster”.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has recognised NBA‘s self-regulation initiative and has started forwarding complaints against even non-members for consideration of the NBSA. “If the Ministry at all believed that self-regulation had failed, evidently it would not have taken such a pro-active step. The Ministry in the last few months has forwarded 25 complaints which have been considered or are under consideration of the Authority,” the letter adds.
“In fact on seeing the effectiveness of the NBA self-regulation mechanism, a similar body – the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) for the general entertainment channels has been set up headed by Justice (Retd) AP Shah, former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court,” the NBA adds.
From Justice Katju‘s interview “we are also understand he is drawing consensus from the two leading political parties of the country to bring the electronic media within the ambit of the PCI and christening it as a ‘Media Council of India‘. In this regard, we are given to understand Justice Katju has written to you and also met Sushma Swaraj, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. We strongly oppose this move by the Chairman PCI.”
“In fact, we urge you to further strengthen the self-regulation initiative adopted by the NBA by persuading the Ministry to include the NBA Code of Ethics and the Redressal Regulations and various specific guidelines as part of the Programme Code under the Cable TV Rules,” the letter demands.
Justice (Retd.) Katju has “vociferously aired his sweeping and generic views on diverse matters like reporting news, what, when & how news should be reported, what should and what should not be reported, the time given for reporting news and the intellectual caliber of journalists,” the letter points out.
Other than Verma, the NBSA has members which include Kiran Karnik (former president, NASSCOM); Nitin Desai (economist and former Under Secretary General of UN), Chokila Iyer (former Foreign Secretary of India) and Dipankar Gupta (sociologist and former professor of Jawahar Lal Nehru University).
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.
