[HCDX] BBC Interview with Information & Broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi

[sakthi vel <ardicdxclub@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

At a time when the Indian media industry is again
buzzing with activities, information and broadcasting
minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, who took over from
Jaipal Reddy in October 2005, speaks to BBC Radio's
Hindi service on a host of issues related to his
ministry, but primarily focussing on financial
autonomy of pubcaster Prasar Bharati, news content on
FM radio and whether the government should actively
regulate crime shows on private satellite channels.

Excerpts from BBC's interaction with Das Munshi:
 	

BBC Q : Mr Das Munshi, in the world's largest
democracy, is the media truly independent and in your
view does it function with responsibility?
Priya Ranjan Das Munshi : I want to say with full
responsibility that media in India has set a high
standard not only within the country or in South Asia,
but in the whole. By taking news to the people
independently and in an unbiased manner, the media has
made an important place for itself in our democracy,
and this successful democracy would not be able to
function without this important arm now !
 	

BBC Q : Doordarshan and All India Radio are still the
most important mediums of mass communication in our
country, but private TV channels appear to be more
competitive. Is there any thinking to convert
Doordarshan a competitive channel ?
Priya Ranjan Das Munshi : See there is a discussion
going on this issue, whether Doordarshan can compete
with private channels or not in both content as well
as presentation. For this let us take a look back for
a few decades. When Prasar Bharati Corporation was
formed, its aim was to reach out to every nook and
corner of the country, inform people first. Let them
know about what the government was doing and also not
doing on people's issues, and then start a debate on
such issues. At that time the aim was not to develop a
commercial viability to be able to compete with
private channels, but to function as true public
service broadcaster !

 	

BBC Q : But DD can become competitive only if it is
granted autonomy in real terms and that would not be
possible if it does not have complete financial
autonomy. Why is the government not allowing that to
happen ?
Priya Ranjan Das Munshi : See, I fully support
complete financial autonomy for the Prasar Bharti.
When this corporation was formed, it was decided at
that time only to make it financially autonomous. The
responsibility of doing that was of Prasar Bharti, but
today I do not want to hold its senior officials for
this, whatever may have been the reasons, let us look
forward now. Prasar Bharti would have to develop its
commercial viability now, so that it has its own
resources.
Presently it is dependant on the government for
two-thirds of its financial requirements, if this
continues then the autonomy would be only in name and
its dependence on the government would continue ! 
 	
BBC Q : But government dependence clearly means open
interference in Doordarshan and AIR at all levels ?
Priya Ranjan Das Munshi : I would never talk of
interference, but look at the facts, if the government
is providing money to any public sector unit, then it
would have to find out what is being done with the
money provided, and remember questions are asked in
parliament from the ministry, we have to answer them.
Given all this and to bring about a real change, I
have proposed to set up a Group of Ministers (GoM)
which would take a fresh look at the Prasar Bharti
Act. 

For example section 22 of this Act had asked for tax
exemption on the earnings, it was struck down, I don't
know why ? Now to put things in perspective and look
at revenue generation for Prasar Bharti, we would seek
fresh ideas. However, being a minister I want to say
clearly that the Doordarshan has not been able to
attain a professional standard which should have been
there by now. It has got caught in a systematic
bureaucratic machinery and positive development has
been hampered. Once sees same faces on DD atleast
twenty times a day, this monopoly is going to stop !	
 	

BBC Q : But has any study been done so far to identify
the weaknesses and get over them ?
Priya Ranjan Das Munshi :Yes, I have myself studied
the various departments of Doordarshan to understand
where the root of the problem lies. I have been pained
to find how Doordarshan has suffered in programming
and content. In my view the flaw is that no proper
technical recruitment has been done since 1990. A
single individual is expected to handle four types of
work. Similarly in case of Station Directors it is not
clear whether they are for programming or for
technical guidance. The purchase and maintenance of
equipments has been ignored for far too long. I am not
claiming that I would change things overnight, but I
can assure you that by 31st May this year, countrymen
would be able to say Doordarshan is no less than any
private channel !

BBC Q : There is a revolution in the radio market with
the government having cleared more than 300 private FM
channels, but why news and current affairs has not
been allowed on this ? 
Priya Ranjan Das Munshi : Let us first wait and see
what content would be offered by these stations for
the next two to three years and then we would think
about the next step. We are presently not allowing
news and current affairs programmes on private FM
radio stations, as it is better to delay it so that no
wrong goes on air, rather than trying to control the
damage afterwards, which won't be easy.
 	
BBC Q : But virtually everything has been allowed on
TV, why is radio being given such a treatment ?
Priya Ranjan Das Munshi : Let us look at the issue
carefully.
Television reaches the educated class of the country
and extends to those who are not literate in rural
areas by way of community TV. The rural people are
more interested in entertainment programmes on TV, and
the interest towards news programmes is less. However,
the fact with radio is that the news broadcast on it
is considered the last word and has unmatched
credibility. Therefore it is our duty to see that the
news being broadcast on radio is correct and does not
provoke any section of the society. Our challenge is
greater than any other country.	
 	

When all major countries in the world have allowed
news and current affairs on private FM stations, why
is India hesitant to do so ?
Priya Ranjan Das Munshi : We cannot compare ourselves
with any other country in the world, as first of all
we have to keep our country united. Nowhere in the
world so many language and dialect channels are there.
USA, UK, France none of them have so many languages
and channels in them. Though there is no official ban
on news and current affairs on private FM stations in
the countries mentioned above, but an undeclared ban
on the content is there. We in India have gone ahead
of them by allowing so many private FM stations.
 	

BBC Q : When people already have access and listen to
so many international radio stations, then how would
it be logical to hold back news and current affairs
from private FM stations in the country ?
Priya Ranjan Das Munshi : Yes people listen to
multiple radio broadcasts, but it is the All India
Radio that they depend on for authentic information.
Look at the recent example of Gujarat riots, it was
only after the AIR said peace was returning to the
state, people were really relieved. So, it is an issue
of content. It is not possible to liberalise news &
current affairs immediately after having allowed
private FM stations. We are going to observe two-three
years as those of experimentation and see what content
is being offered, and then we would decide about news
on FM. Think of a situation, if for example a company
from a particular country succeeds in bagging say 290
of the 300 stations up for grabs. It is not an
international issue for us, but in such a particular
situation, won't that company be giving natural
preference to its own country rather than us. 
 	

BBC Q : How would the content on private FM stations
be monitored ?
Priya Ranjan Das Munshi : Government would evolve a
content monitoring mechanism for private FM stations,
and this would not be done by the government, but
instead would be handed over to the players
themselves, and government would step in if only there
were a violation of the mechanism, therefore we would
like to proceed slowly.
 	

BBC Q : Is the government thinking to regulate the
rapid increase in crime related shows on private TV
channels in the country, especially in evenings when
children watch TV ?Priya Priya Ranjan Das Munshi : See
the UPA government does not believe in regulation and
control, especially when it comes to media. We are
committed to give compete freedom to the media. It
would be very difficult for the government to monitor
what crime shows private TV channels are showing. What
we can do is to suggest them to telecast such shows
after 10 pm in the night. We have regulated what the
satellites were beaming from outside the country by
implementing the Code of Content and Advertisement so
far as the cable TV is concerned. But when would they
show a particular programme and what visuals they are
showing, we do not interfere in it.

BBC Q : But why is the government was reluctant to
follow the example of Britain, where a media
self-regulator Ofcom acts as an effective independent
watch-dog ?
Priya Ranjan Das Munshi : Let me tell you, in the
coming session of Parliament, we are going to propose
for the first time in our country, setting up of
viewers forums on the lines of consumer forums. We
propose to set-up a national niewers' forum and
regional viewers forums, and we intend to empower
these forums with a legal backing.
The government would act on the advice and suggestions
of these forums. Private TV channels would be made
responsible to these forums.


http://www.indiantelevision.com/interviews/y2k6/executive/priya_das_munsi.htm
++++++++++++++++++
Jaisakthivel,
Chennai, India.
www.dxersguide.blogspot.com


		
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