By IANS
New Delhi : Faced with opposition from the media, the government has decided to keep in abeyance the controversial Broadcast Services Regulation Bill during the monsoon session of parliament and will meet broadcasters to sort out differences.
“We will have a meeting of all broadcasters soon to iron out the issues. The matter will then be forwarded to the cabinet,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told reporters here Tuesday, adding that he hoped to introduce the bill at the fag end of the session, which begins Friday.
When asked why the bill did not figure in the list, Dasmunsi, who also holds charge of Information and Broadcasting, asked: “Why are you so concerned about it?”
He said the government will have one more round of meetings with stakeholders soon seeking to sort out differences on the issues and he would himself participate in the meetings.
The broadcasters had been asking for more time to respond to the proposed Content Code and the bill. The government had earlier given them time till Aug 5 to give their comments.
Private media houses have raised concerns over the government’s proposal on cross-media restrictions, self-regulation guidelines and content auditor.
The monsoon session, delayed in view of the presidential elections, is expected to see the introduction of a total of 25 new bills.