While  on the one hand, disabled kids were assured of quota in nearby private schools, on the other, musicians, writers and cinematographers moved a step closer to getting royalty for their works.

The Union Cabinet approved the introduction of a bill in Parliament to amend the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, to  ensure quota for disabled children in private schools. The amendment to the Act also aims at changing the mandate of school management committees constituted under the Act for aided minority institutions.

The Act provides free and compulsory education as a fundamental right for every child in the 6-14 age limit and earmarks 25 per cent seats to children from “economically weaker sections and disadvantaged groups” in private schools.

The amendment to the Act aims at including children with disabilities within the meaning of “children belonging to disadvantaged group”, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

The amendment also aims at widening the definition of disabled children, who have been ensured right to pursue free and compulsory elementary education.

The Cabinet also approved amendments to the Copyright Act of 1957 for introduction in Parliament. One amendment will give “independent rights to authors of literary and musical works in cinematograph films, which were hitherto denied and wrongfully exploited by producers and music companies,” the minister said. Another amendment ensures that authors of creative works, particularly songs included in films or sound recordings, receive royalty for commercial exploitation of such works, Soni said.

“It has been proposed to introduce a system of statutory licensing to ensure that the public has access to musical works over FM radio and TV networks and at the same time owners of copyright works are also not subjected to any disadvantages,” she said.
Earlier, only the film’s producer had the copyright of the product. After the amendment in the Act, however, the term of copyright has been extended by making producers and directors joint authors of  films.

Soni said the amendments were proposed by the HRD Ministry to gain clarity, remove operational difficulties and address newer issues.

Continued quota on ITI products for BSNL/MTNL

New Delhi, DHNS: The Union government on Thursday decided to continue the 30 per cent reservation quota on products manufactured by ITI to meet the requirements of BSNL/MTNL.  The reservation will also apply to turnkey projects involving ITI for the two telecom companies such as GSM rollout. The proposal also enables ITI to accept orders under the quota.