Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT to review functioning of CBFC

Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT to review the functioning of Central Board of Film Certification on Tuesday, in context of Draft Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2021.

As per an official release by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on June 18, to tackle the menace of film piracy, the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on February 12, 2019 after getting Cabinet approval on February 6, 2019, wherein it was proposed to insert a new section 6AA and a new sub-section (1A) in Section 7 of the Act.

The Standing Committee on Information Technology (2019- 20) presented the 9th Report on Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha on March 16, 2020. The observations/recommendations made by the Standing Committee on Information Technology in the Report have been examined and it is proposed to suitably revise the clauses in the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2019 based on the recommendations made by the Committee.

An Expert Committee under the Chairmanship of Justice Mukul Mudgal was constituted in 2013 to examine the issues of certification under the Cinematograph Act, 1952. Another Committee of Experts was set up under the Chairmanship of Shyam Benegal in 2016 to evolve broad guidelines for certification within the ambit of the Cinematograph Act and Rules.

The recommendations made by both the Committee of Experts have been examined in the Ministry and efforts have been made to consider all the relevant issues through internal reviews of the Act in consultation with various stakeholders.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting thus proposes to introduce the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2021 which will make the process of sanctioning of films for exhibition more effective, in tune with the changed times and curb the menace of piracy, it added.