YEAR END REVIEW - 2002
A number of major
and far-reaching policy decisions, legislative measures and administrative
initiatives were the highlights of the Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting’s activities to meet the challenges of the fast
developing media and entertainment sectors. These included opening
up of the Print Media sector for the Foreign Direct Investment,
passing of the Cable Televisions (Amendment) Bill by the Parliament
to pave the way for introduction of the Conditional Access System
for Cable TV network, introduction of the community Radio Scheme
for educational institutions and the ‘rightsizing’ of the media
units in the wake of the recommendations of the Geethakrishanan
Committee.
FDI in Print
Media
After opening
the Direct to Home, the KU band and the uplinking areas for the
FDI, the Government this year took a major decision to open the
Print media sector also for foreign investment. In the Non-News/Non-Current
Affairs category, scientific, technical and speciality publication
entities, the foreign investment has been allowed upto 74 per
cent. This would also allow publication of Indian editions of
foreign scientific, technical and speciality magazines/periodicals/journals.
This would help making available speciality magazines etc., in
the areas like health, computers and other technical subjects
at a much lesser cost and make India a publication hub in Asia.
In the News and Current Affairs, FDI has been allowed upto 26
per cent and that too with certain conditions. These conditions
include that the largest shareholder must hold at least 51 per
cent equity, ¾ of Directors and all executive and editorial staff
have to be resident Indians and any change in equity would have
to be intimated within 15 days. This decision will not only help
getting the much needed funds in the publication sector but also
help its modernization by employing the latest technology through
international tie-ups. The Ministry has already started receiving
proposals for clearance after the notification of guidelines for
both the categories early this month.
Conditional
Access System
The Ministry
pursued vigorously the amendments to the Cable TV Act and got
the Bill passed in the Winter Session of the Parliament, paving
the way for the introduction of Conditional Access System for
the Cable TV network in the country. This would not only provide
protection to the Cable viewers from the ever increasing and arbitrarily
hike in cable charges but would aslo enable the consumer to choose
the channels he wants to view and pay only for those. The Government
would specify the basic bouquet of free channels and its genre
and also the maximum fee for the free bouquet. The notification
for CAS would be issued immediately after the President’s accent
to the Bill. To begin with, CAS is proposed to be introduced in
four metros and would be extended to other big cities and towns,
depending on the availability of the Set Top Boxes required.
Community Radio
Scheme
Another major
Government decision which would completely revolutionize the Radio
Broadcasting in the country, is the approval to Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting’s scheme to allow setting up of small FM Radio
Stations by educational institutions. To begin with, the well-established
educated institutions having their own campus like the universities,
IITs/IIMs and residential schools have been allowed. The service
would provide a platform for student and teaching communities
to give expression to their creative talents in the production
of programmes and socio-cultural cohesion through interactive
programmes. It would help bridge the information gap by broadcasting
programmes suited for the needs of the local community. However,
the licencees would not be allowed to broadcast news and current
affairs or election and political broadcasts, advertisements or
sponsored programmes and would have to conform to the Programme
Code of All India Radio.
Rightsizing
and Reorientation of Media Units
The Ministry
took up a major exercise of rightsizing and reorientation of its
Media Units after a thorough review of their functioning following
recommendations of the Geetakrishnan Committee which had suggested
the winding up of several Media Units like the Song and Drama
Division, Publications Division, Films Division, Directorate of
Field Publicity, Directorate of Film Festivals, FTII etc., and
drastic cuts in personnel in others like DAVP. The Ministry succeeded
in convincing the Ministry of Finance about the relevance and
importance of retaining all its Media Units by little reorganizing
and restructuring and agreed to abolish only 1334 posts against
over 5000 suggested by the Geethakrishnan Committee. For making
the Media Units more effective by rationalizing their structure,
the Song and Drama Division and Exhibition Wing of DAVP are being
merged with the DFP. Film Sansar Campus is contemplated at Peddar
Road, Mumbai to pool the resources of the film related units for
making their best use and creating common facilities.
Boost to the
Film Sector
The Ministry
made concerted efforts to boost marketing of Indian films abroad
and also to woo foreign production on India locales. The Information
and Broadcasting Minister led large film delegations to Japan
and USA and to the Cannes Film Festival. The Indian Pavilion at
Cannes was a big draw and the Indian Film Industry was accorded
the pride of place with the holding of a perspective of Raj Kapoor
films, hailing him as ‘Prince of Bollywood’. A premier of ‘Devdas’
at Cannes was the first ever for an Indian film at the most prestigious
film festival in the world. All these efforts have resulted in
boosting export of Indian films which has already crossed Rs.
900 crores this year as against a mere Rs. 250 crores three years
ago. Three treaties for co-productions are ready to be signed
with Canada, Britain and France.
