Government assures stable policy regime for media

The government will ensure a stable policy regime with transparency and time-bound mechanism for development of media and entertainment industry that is likely to grow to $100 billion in size by 2020, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said Thursday.

Addressing chief executives of media and entertainment industry, Javadekar said efforts would be streamlined so as to make the process of clearances speedy and transparent.

"This government is about communication and consensus. We will create a process in which decisions will be taken in four weeks, which was taking four months earlier," the minister said criticising the previous government for delays in decision making.

Javadekar was speaking at CEOs' roundtable on media and entertainment organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here. More than 40 top executives of media and entertainment companies participated at the meeting.

The executives raised the issues related to broadcast, films, direct-to-home, cable, radio and print media sectors.

The minister said the government will soon start auction for new radio channels and also allow news on private FM channels.

"The phase III licensing for radio channels will be processed faster, and news will allowed in FM radio soon," Javadekar said.

Javadekar also said that the government wanted to make national broadcaster Doordarshan the "first choice" of viewers.

Javadekar also said that there is a need to address the issue of decency in advertisements.

"They show advertisements where a guy uses a deodorant and women start running towards him. The situation is not so bad for women..." Javadekar said.

"We can give films A (adult) certification, but not to Doordarshan. But government will not impose any code, you (advertisers) have to evolve a code for themselves and practice self-restraint," he said.

Addressing the event, CII president Ajay Shriram said the media and entertainment industry provides direct employment to around 10 million people and has the potential to double the number.

"This sector also is on the cusp of achieving the same global success that the Indian IT industry has achieved," Shriram said.