‘Govt plans to blunt censor’s scissors’

Minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore on Wednesday said the National Democratic Alliance government is working to reform the film certification process so that the use of scissors is limited as much as possible.

However, he said there will be restrictions as anything that “you can’t speak off camera, you can’t speak on the camera”.

Later, Rathore told reporters the government is clear that freedom of expression must be encouraged and any restriction should be in line with the Constitution.

The government is preparing to amend the Cinematograph Act — as recommended by the Shyam Benegal committee — to curtail the powers of the Central Board of Film Certification.

The committee was constituted by the I&B ministry on January 1 to take a relook at the functioning of the controversy-ridden censor board.

Rathore said new innovations and disruptions in the media and entertainment sectors are happening at a fast pace and there is a need to bring a change in rules.

He, however, said it can be done only after wider consultation so that there is a well thought-out policy and no knee-jerk reaction.

He said there is a need to look into rules for the online media as the rules applicable to the broadcast and print media are not applicable to it.

Rathore said there are few players in the direct-tohome segment and the I&B ministry is soon going to bring a policy to help it spread.

Responding to a question on Prasar Bharati, Rathore said while there is a need to improve its content and marketing, it is not fair to compare the public broadcaster with private channels.