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A proposal to start a television channel for the Delhi assembly on the lines of the two channels run by Parliament will be forwarded to the state finance department by the assembly secretariat. However, with the Union ministry for information and broadcasting silent about the plan, it is possible that the Delhi assembly project will trigger another confrontation between the Centre and the state government.
The project, chaperoned by assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel, is conceived to "not only take live proceedings of the assembly to the people, but also promote knowledge of democracy and governance at the state level".
The assembly secretariat claims that the channel will not be run by the state government, but remain an assembly-driven project like the Rajya Sabha TV and Lok Sabha TV channels run by Parliament. However, it needs central approval because running a TV channel requires a licence from the centre.
The Delhi assembly secretariat had first conveyed its wish on a channel to the I&B ministry in a letter on November 6, 2015. The ministry acknowledge the receipt of the letter on December 3 and said the matter had been referred to the department concerned. However, when no more response was forthcoming, the assembly secretariat sent a reminder in March, on which there has been no further communication.
Determined to pursue the demand as mandated by the General Purposes Committee led by Goel, the assembly secretariat is going ahead with the plan. It is likely to submit a proposal to the state finance department, whose clearance will enable the creation of a separate fund for the channel.
In January, the Delhi assembly had released advertisements on the proposed setting up and running of an independent television channel. The ads invited applications for the position of consultant (television project) on a contractual basis. A consultant was subsequently appointed and tasked with preparing the detailed project report on the channel and the costs involved.
It is learnt from reliable sources that the consultant has also prepared a plan for providing feed of the assembly proceedings to news networks when the House is in session. The budget session in March was the first one in which the plan was tested. A professional was hired to provide technical support to aid news channels' access to live news from the legislative assembly. This will now become a regular practice during sittings of the assembly.
While the I&B ministry is yet to take a view on the matter, officials have indicated that recent instances of cable monopoly in Punjab and Tamil Nadu have raised concerns over the misuse of a channel run by a state government or a political party. Officials also cite Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recommendations that do not favour the centre allowing states and political parties into the business of TV broadcasting.
http://m.timesofindia.com/city/delhi/Centre-mum-on-assembly-channel/articleshow/52824468.cms
The project, chaperoned by assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel, is conceived to "not only take live proceedings of the assembly to the people, but also promote knowledge of democracy and governance at the state level".
The assembly secretariat claims that the channel will not be run by the state government, but remain an assembly-driven project like the Rajya Sabha TV and Lok Sabha TV channels run by Parliament. However, it needs central approval because running a TV channel requires a licence from the centre.
The Delhi assembly secretariat had first conveyed its wish on a channel to the I&B ministry in a letter on November 6, 2015. The ministry acknowledge the receipt of the letter on December 3 and said the matter had been referred to the department concerned. However, when no more response was forthcoming, the assembly secretariat sent a reminder in March, on which there has been no further communication.
Determined to pursue the demand as mandated by the General Purposes Committee led by Goel, the assembly secretariat is going ahead with the plan. It is likely to submit a proposal to the state finance department, whose clearance will enable the creation of a separate fund for the channel.
In January, the Delhi assembly had released advertisements on the proposed setting up and running of an independent television channel. The ads invited applications for the position of consultant (television project) on a contractual basis. A consultant was subsequently appointed and tasked with preparing the detailed project report on the channel and the costs involved.
It is learnt from reliable sources that the consultant has also prepared a plan for providing feed of the assembly proceedings to news networks when the House is in session. The budget session in March was the first one in which the plan was tested. A professional was hired to provide technical support to aid news channels' access to live news from the legislative assembly. This will now become a regular practice during sittings of the assembly.
While the I&B ministry is yet to take a view on the matter, officials have indicated that recent instances of cable monopoly in Punjab and Tamil Nadu have raised concerns over the misuse of a channel run by a state government or a political party. Officials also cite Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recommendations that do not favour the centre allowing states and political parties into the business of TV broadcasting.
http://m.timesofindia.com/city/delhi/Centre-mum-on-assembly-channel/articleshow/52824468.cms
