EDITORIALS & ARTICLES
5th March 2021
OTT platforms will not have to register: Centre
- The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has clarified that over-the-top (OTT) platforms will not have to register with the government, and no government nominee will be present in the self-regulatory body.
- The Centre recently had notified new rules and guidelines for OTT platforms and digitial news media.
STATEMENT FROM THE MINISTRY:
- The I&B Ministry said it merely requires them to disclose information and that there is no requirement of registration of any kind with the Ministry.
- The rules focus on self classification of content instead of any form of censorship. The platforms were expected to develop a grievance redressal mechanism to tackle complaints about content.
- Dispelling rumours, the Ministry clarified that in the self-regulating body, no member will be appointed by the government.
- The government would create an inter-departmental committee to look at complaints that remain unresolved at the self-regulatory level.
- The Ministry reasserted that the code of ethics had been brought in following representations from various cinema and TV bodies, stating that while there were regulations for them, none existed for the OTT industry.
- The government would come out with progressive institutional mechanism for OTT players and develop a level-playing field with the idea of self-regulation.
Content needs to be checked, says SC
- The Supreme Court recently made it amply clear to over-the-top (OTT) platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video that it is in favour of “screening” the content shown by them.
- It said some of the films hosted by the platforms were pornographic.
SC OBSERVATION:
- Traditional film viewing has become extinct. Now, films and web series are viewed by the public on these platforms. Should there not be some screening?
- We feel there should be some screening. There is pornography on some films.
- Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Amazon producer Aparna Purohit’s bail, said this “was not about pornography but the right to freedom of expression”.
- “But a balance has to be struck,” SCretorted.
- Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta said the content included “filthy abuses”.
- The Bench asked the guidelines to be placed on record and scheduled a hearing for March 5. The Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules of 2021 requires the streaming platforms to comply with a new three-tier self-regulatory complaint redressal system.
IISc in top 100 list in natural sciences category
- The Indian Institute of Science broke into the top 100 in the natural sciences category of the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021, which were released recently.
- With regard to subject rankings, there are two new entrants in the top 100 list: JNU’s anthropology programme and O.P. Jindal Global University’s law programme, which is also the only private institution in the list.
IITs:
- In the broad engineering and technology category, only three institutions made it to the top 100 — the Bombay, Delhi and Madras IITs — in comparison to five institutions last year.
- The Kharagpur and Kanpur IITs dropped out of the top 100 though the former is one of the government’s Institutes of Eminence (IoEs).
- The Bombay, Delhi and Madras IITs, which are also IoEs getting extra Central funding with the specific aim of rising in global rankings, have all dropped several places this year as well.
DU FALLS 48 PLACES:
- In the other two broad categories, the University of Delhi was the highest ranked Indian institution in social sciences and management, but fell 48 places to drop out of the top 200.
- The All India Institute of Medical Sciences remained the only institution in the top 300 in life sciences and medicine, but also dropped more than 10 places.
- Overall, 25 Indian programmes from 12 institutions made it to the top 100 in their specific subject areas, two fewer than in 2020.
- Two programmes from the IIT Bombay and one each from the the Madras and Kharagpur IITs slipped out of the list.
- Only two of the IoE programmes in the top 100 subject-specific list improved their rankings this year.
- The top-ranked Indian programme globally is the IIT Madras petroleum engineering programme which dropped one place to the 30th rank, followed by mineral and mining engineering at Bombay and Kharagpur IITs, which are ranked at 41st and 44th place in their field.
- The University of Delhi’s development studies programme is the only other one in the top 50, sliding in at the 50th rank.
- QS Head of Evaluation Leigh Kamolins noted that India had a good performance in COVID-19 research, ranking fifth in the world in terms of the number of published research papers on the pandemic.
GoM suggests steps to stem ‘negative narrative’
In an effort to “neutralise” what it calls a “negative narrative”, a Group of Ministers (GoM), formed to fine-tune “government communication”, has come out with suggestions to track “50 negative and 50 positive influencers” on social media, “neutralise the people who are writing against the government without facts and set[ting] false narratives/spread[ing] fake news” and take other steps.
GOI OBSERVATION:
- It emerges that the decisions on capping FDI (foreign direct investment) at 26% for digital news media and the new IT rules that have a separate section dealing with code of ethics for Over the Top (OTT) platforms such as Netflix were a result of the GoM’s deliberations.
- The FDI cap was essential, the GoM felt, to constrict the “foreign influence” on Indian media.
- A list of media personnel and prominent persons, who are pro our line of thought — both nationally and globally, should be prepared.
- Few eminent academicians, Vice Chancellors, retired Indian Foreign Service officers etc, should be identified who can write our achievements and project our viewpoint.
‘DIRECT ACTION’:
- Direct action against those writing against the government. India should have a strategy to neutralise the people who are writing against the government without facts and set[ting] false narratives / spread[ing] fake news.
- The action points recommended by the GoM include enlarging the Prasar Bharati News Service into a “mainline news agency”.
- The agreed long-term strategies include “coordination with schools of journalism as present students are the future journalists”.
- The journalists who were supportive of the government, even if unemployed now, should be roped in. The report says this suggestion would be acted upon.
- The GoM’s report was published by sections of the media. There is so far no official word on its contents.
Industry: Haryana quota law will slow recovery, cut jobs, bring inspector raj
- Industry representatives have told that the move by the Haryana government requiring that locals — born in the state or living there for five years — account for 75% of all hiring by companies in jobs with gross salary under Rs 50,000 per month will potentially slow the post-Covid economic recovery, increase compliance burden and usher in an “inspector raj.
- Recently, the state administration notified the Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act 2020, which requires all companies, LLPs, trusts, societies and partnership firms with more than 10 employees to follow these local employment requirements and specifically empower the district administrations to enforce the new regulations through inspections with a 24-hour notice.
- The legislation, the government argued, is aimed at boosting local employment particularly for the youth in unskilled jobs.
- The Andhra Pradesh assembly in 2019 passed a similar law, which has subsequently been challenged in courts.
CRITICIMS:
- Industry players, however, were unanimous in calling the move “regressive” and pointed to how the lack of a sufficiently large qualified domestic workforce in Haryana made the implementation of the new act “impractical”.
- The economic recovery (post-Covid) will definitely be affected by these restrictions. The move would hinder investments coming into Haryana.
- Industry was in talks with the Haryana government seeking a relook at the legislation. The move could further affect the competitiveness of Haryana.
- Under the regulations, firms and companies would also have to register all of their employees receiving a gross salary of Rs 50,000 or less on a government portal and update it at regular intervals.
- Industry sources noted that employees with salaries under Rs 50,000 accounted for about 60-70% of the workforce of major industries in Haryana.
- Reservation affects productivity and Industry competitiveness. This is like giving encouragement to inspector raj.
- The provision in the law requires a firm to seek exemption from the district administration if it cannot find enough qualified workers. This brings in an element of bureaucratic discretion in the entire process.
- It is not possible for so many skilled and semi-skilled local workers to become available so quickly.
- The legislation would damage small firms and halt expansion plans. This will lead to job destruction instead of job creation for locals as nobody will expand operations in the state and foreign investors will not even consider investing here.
Delhi reaches out to Dhaka for ties beyond ‘strategic partnership’
- Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh later this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a strong outreach to Dhaka on his bilateral visit, describing the country as a “key neighbour” and a “valued partner” not only “in South Asia but also in the broader Indo-Pacific region”.
- Minister said India’s ties with Bangladesh “transcend even our strategic partnership”.
- The visits have been timed with celebrations to mark 50 years of the 1971 liberation war that led to the birth of Bangladesh.
- Minister framed Bangladesh’s importance as being central to India’s “neighbourhood first” policy and its growing relevance in the “Act East” policy.
MUTUAL TRUST:
- Minister said “Our comfort levels are now so high that we have shown that there is no issue that we cannot discuss and resolve through amicable dialogue.”
- Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told him that there might be problems among neighbouring countries but it should be resolved through discussions and negotiations.
- India and Bangladesh had a Virtual Summit in December last year, a Joint Consultative Commission between the two Foreign Ministers last September, meetings of Foreign Secretaries, Power Secretaries, Home Secretaries, Police chiefs, BSF and BGB, and defence visits.
- Minister also praised the Bangladesh PM, and described the country’s socio-economic progress as a “reflection of the statesmanship and leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina”.
DIPLOMACY AT WORK:
- A year after the CAA-NRC issue strained the robust ties between the two countries, quiet diplomacy appears to have worked.
- The Prime Minister's visit later this month is timed with the celebrations to mark 50 years of Bangladesh.
- The Minister said every outcome and achievement in our relationship resonates through this region. It is no secret that we cite it to others as an example for emulation.
- Both the nations have focused on possible ways to materialise commitments and how to prioritise and accommodate each other’s priorities in a mutually beneficial manner, outlining Covid cooperation, connectivity, trade, water, security, border and lines of credit as some of the areas of discussion.
- Minister too outlined Delhi’s priorities. Both the nations are working so hard to expand relationship in all dimensions, ranging from security, trade, transport and connectivity, culture, people-to-people ties, energy, joint development of our shared resources and defence.
- On the issue of vaccines, Minsiter said Bangladesh is the largest recipient of Made-in-India vaccines.
- Recent activities go beyond consultations and gestures. There is “practical progress on the ground” — conducting a trial run of container cargo through Chattogram port to Agartala, adding two new Protocol routes to inland waterways connecting Tripura to Bangladesh national waterways, handing over 10 broad gauge locomotives, commencing movement of container and parcel trains and forming a joint venture in the energy sector.
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