State, district panels to monitor FM radios

The Centre has decentralised the mechanism to monitor the content of private FM and community radios, and take action against those violating the rules.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has authorised the state and the district-level monitoring committees to accept complaints against them and take action against any violation of the All India Radio broadcasting code by private radio stations.
Until now, they had permission to take up complaints against private satellite television channels only.

The decision was taken by the ministry recently in the wake of a Supreme Court advice.

The apex court, while hearing a matter earlier in January, has advised the Centre to “formalise” the existing complaint redressal mechanism for content monitoring of private satellite television channels and to “finalise” similar framework for private radio stations as well, a ministry official said.

“Since the broadcast of the FM radio channels and community radio stations are in the nature of terrestrial transmission, monitoring of their content centrally was not feasible. The content aired by them is also local in nature. Hence it was decided to authorise the district and state level monitoring committees to look into the complaints against them,” the official added. At least 19 states and five Union Territories have already set up monitoring committees in 327 districts.  A district level committee is headed by the district magistrate or the senior-most police officer in-charge of the district.

The panel comprises principal of a women’s college and an academician among others.
The I&B ministry has urged both the states and Union Territory administrations to set up committees wherever it has not been done so far to “effectively monitor all types of contents” including those aired by private radios.

“These committees, set up by the respective state governments, can now take up any complaint against private radio channels and community radios in addition to those coming against satellite television channels,”the official said.