The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has written to the digital news websites and OTT platforms to provide all their details and compliance status as per the new IT rules within 15 days.
The Centre came up with the new rules in February this year to “establish a soft touch progressive institutional mechanism with a level playing field featuring a Code of Ethics and a three-tier grievance redressal framework for news publishers and OTT platforms on the digital media”.
As per the norms, digital news publishers will now have to notify the government of their operations, set up self-regulatory bodies, and apply a complaint redressal mechanism. Besides this, the publishers on digital media will also have to observe norms of Journalistic Conduct of the Press Council of India and the Programme Code under the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act.
IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said that “They will have to have a grievance redressal mechanism, a grievance officer who shall register the grievance within 24 hours and disposal in 15 days”
A body will be registered with the IB ministry, which will include retired Supreme Court and High Court judges, to constantly check the adherence of these ethical codes. The government had also informed that they will be establishing a platform where people can file their complaints and grievances against online content.
Meanwhile, cabinet minister Prakash Javdekar mentioned that people are happy with new rules as it doesn’t prescribe any censorship at any point rather just ask OTT platforms to re-adjust the content according to different categories.
