Enforce laws to curb illegal channels, bad content: Naidu

Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu today called for effective implementation of laws to restrict broadcast of "unauthorised" channels and "objectionable" content.
The information and broadcasting minister said All India Radio would commission two new digital transmitters of 100 kW power each for dissemination of content across the border for Afghanistan-Pakistan region by the end of next month.
The minister was addressing a meeting here to review the functioning of the media units under his ministry in the union territories (UTs).
The minister urged the UTs to appoint nodal officers who can assist the district magistrates to curb broadcast of unauthorised channels.

"Naidu stressed upon the need to ensure effective implementation of Cable TV Act in order to restrict airing of objectionable content and unauthorised channels," an official release said.
However, he did not elaborate on what constitutes objectionable content.

With regard to unauthorised channels, the comments come in the backdrop of reports of Pakistani channels being aired illegally in Jammu and Kashmir in May.
Naidu had then asked the state government to stop their transmission.
Addressing the meeting, the minister also pitched for identifying publications which do not publish anything but submit official documents only for availing government advertisements.
Out of 16,132 registered publications in Delhi, only 3,704 publications has submitted their annual returns in the last five years, the release said.

Naidu said a new FM transmitter would be installed in Car Nicobar by the end of the financial year, besides replacing the existing transmitters in Daman and Karaikal (Puducherry) with higher power transmitters to enhance outreach.
Highlighting the importance of communication in local dialects, Naidu urged the UTs to give emphasis to setting up of community radio stations.
Earlier in the day addressing a conference of Prasar Bharati's Regional News Unit, the minister emphasised that the focus must be on Indian languages spoken in a particular region.
"There is no question of thrusting any language on anybody. Focus should be on the mother tongue because you can convey and understand better in your mother tongue.

"Some people say don't impose Hindi at all. We never impose anything and the government does not believe in that.
"We are only proposing that along with your mother tongue, learn other languages as well. Proposing is different from imposing," Naidu said.