It had enabled the government to move towards a comprehensive legislation which would flag developments contemplated within the next couple of decades in the film industry.
The proposed Bill had taken into the need to address gender concerns so as to ensure a correct and positive portrayal of women.
In order to ensure a comprehensive legislation, the Bill had been put up on the website of the Ministry so as to solicit the opinion of key stakeholders and the public at large.
For the first time, a sunset clause defining the time span of the proposed Bill was being incorporated. Shri Tewari stated this while delivering the valedictory address at the National Consultation on the subject: Women and Media organised by the High Level Committee on the Status of Women here today.
On the issue of Television Rating Points (TRPs) the Minister said that this initiative was an attempt to make the process transparent, credible and accountable. At the same time, the endeavor was to address aberrations in the existing rating system.
The Minister added that this initiative was based on the past recommendations of the Standing Committee, TRAI, and Dr. Amit Mitra Committee.
The long term objective was an attempt to usher a system with defined rules within an existing framework. This initiative of the Government would not only address the structural flaws but also ensure that the content driven across platforms was gender sensitive and avoided sensationalism.
On the issue of monopolies in the Cable TV sector, Shri Tewari said that regulator had already made its recommendation and the issues involved were being examined by the Inter Ministerial Committee (IMC). The Ministry would be issuing the necessary guidelines shortly.
The Minister also mentioned that for the broadcasting sector to grow, the regulatory framework ought to be stable and transparent for all stakeholders. This would ensure orderly growth for the sector in the long run.
Regarding the New Media, Shri Tewari said it was necessary to ensure gender sensitivity across the different platforms.
A pro-active approach was required to plug the aberrations prevalent regarding portrayal of women across this medium. It was the responsibility of all stakeholders to prevent subversive discourse in the new media space.
