Broadcast Act Implementation This Year: Jaipal Reddy

Union information and broadcasting minister S Jaipal Reddy yesterday expressed hope

that the new broadcasting act would become operational before the end of the calendar year.

Reddy told a press conference here that the joint select committee of Parliament was expected to table its opinion on the new bill before the commencement of the monsoon session (of Parliament) and the act could then be enacted.

We can have a fully autonomous broadcasting authority in the calendar year 1997, he said.

Noting that there was no law in the country to regulate foreign satellite television channels which were beaming programmes to Indian people from outside the country, he said such a law was in force in most of the countries.

 

Our intention is not to do away with foreign satellite channels, nor is it our intention to quarrel with its reality, he said, adding that the limited purpose of the new bill is to facilitate and regulate private broadcasting both from India and outside.

We believe in giving total liberty to the media, Reddy asserted. He expressed optimism that the joint parliamentary committee would be able to evolve a national consensus on all the contentious issues (in the bill) like foreign participation and cross media holding.

Replying to a question on the dial your CM facility provided by the state Doordarshan kendra to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Mondays to reply to questions on public issues, the information and broadcasting minister said the Centre was ready to provide similar opportunity to Chief Ministers of other states to air their governments views.

If the Chief Minister is prepared to face questions from people on public issues, it is not an erroneous procedure, he said, elaborating that a Chief Minister did not belong to a particular party and was answerable to the people and the legislature.

Regarding the misunderstanding between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka on the Tunga project, Reddy urged the need for a central law to settle such inter-state disputes.

It is easier to arrive at a water accord with Pakistan than between two states, he observed, pointing out that not a single inter-state river water dispute has been settled during the last 50 years. If a strong central law was enacted, conflicting claims could be settled, Reddy added.