DH NEWS SERVICE
Jammu, Jan 24
An interactive session on ‘Indian Media Laws’ was held at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Jammu on Friday. Vikram Sahay, Principal Commissioner, Income Tax, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh engaged with students of Digital Media, Journalism (English) and Journalism (Hindi). He shared valuable insights into the existing and evolving media laws of India and elaborated about media governance in India. During this informative session, Vikram Sahay discussed in detail the legal framework for establishing print media, radio, television and digital media. He elaborated on the working structure of various bodies regulated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The session covered several significant laws, including the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, the Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Television Channels, the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC), the Grievance Redressal Mechanism, the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, etc.
Sahay explained, “The government releases guidelines and formulates rules when it is felt that a matter is being widely discussed and the public believes that the government must take action. This happened in the case of Digital Media also and leading to the formulation of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.”
In his brief interaction with students, Shri Sahay also informed them about the government’s regulatory measures. He said, “The government has banned advertisements for liquor, tobacco and cigarettes. However, advertisements for other products of the same brands are still permitted.
Additionally, the Electronic Media Monitoring Centre (EMMC) monitors the content of all TV channels for violation of advertising and programme code.” He also mentioned that 35 Pakistani YouTube channels were blocked for posing a threat to national security.
The event began with a welcome address by Dr. Vinit Kumar Jha Utpal, Assistant Professor and Course Coordinator for Digital Media, who introduced Vikram Sahay. Vivek Pathak, Additional Director at IIMC shared his experiences with Sahay and praised his visionary leadership. Dr. Dilip Kumar, Regional Director, IIMC Jammu delivered the vote of thanks. Faculty members of IIMC Jammu were also present at the event and benefited from the insightful discussion.
