GOVERNMENT TO REVIEW POLICY ON FOREIGN NEWS AGENCIES OPERATION

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The Government is proposing to review the policy with regard to the operation of foreign news agencies within the country. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has called for opinions and suggestions on continuation or modification of the policy. The existing policy is governed by a Cabinet decision of 1956, which is also based on the recommendations of the First Press Commission.

According to the Cabinet decision, communication facilities should be granted to foreign news agencies only where distribution of news within the country is to be effected through an Indian news agency owned and managed by Indians, which would have full and final authority in the selection of foreign news for distribution and which would also be in a position to supply Indian news in a reasonable volume to the foreign news agencies with which it has a working arrangement. This decision has been the yardstick for examining requests of foreign news agencies to operate in India. However, foreign news agencies were allowed direct distribution of financial news by to selected clients for their own use and not for further reproduction and publication.

Opinions and suggestions are to be sent to the Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, ‘A’ Wing, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi 110001. The responses could also be sent by e-mail at pibnic@sb.nic.in.