Министерство информации и вещания ввело новый комитет для жесткого контроля частных радиостанций

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has reconstituted the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) tasked with examining complaints against private FM radio stations and Community Radio Stations (CRSs). The move strengthens the government's content oversight mechanism, equipping the panel with powers to recommend severe penalties, content modifications, or the temporary suspension of broadcasts for violations of established programming and advertising codes. In an official order dated July 15, 2026, the ministry stated that the newly formed committee immediately supersedes its previous directive issued on May 5, 2026. The IMC will strictly review grievance content aired under the Private FM Radio Phase III Policy of 2011, as well as community broadcasts governed by the Revised Community Radio Policy Guidelines implemented in February 2024. The panel will be chaired by the Additional Secretary of the MIB, with the Joint Secretary (Industry) serving as a member. The committee will also feature cross-industry representation, including officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Department of Consumer Affairs, the Press Council of India, the Bar Council of India, FICCI, and All India Radio’s Programme Wing. The IMC is empowered to recommend punitive actions after investigating referred complaints. These include levying fines for policy breaches, ordering broadcasters to delete or modify offensive content, and recommending that specific programs or entire channels be taken off the air for a designated period. However, the ministry clarified that the panel's recommendations are not automatically enforceable; the Central Government will make the final decision after giving the concerned broadcaster a fair opportunity to present its case. For private FM operators, regulations mandate absolute adherence to the same Programme and Advertisement Code followed by All India Radio. Similarly, the revised 2024 Community Radio Policy demands compliance with Akashvani norms, while enforcing strict local formatting. Community stations must focus on local welfare, establish a community-led content committee that is at least half female, and ensure 50 percent of programming features community participation—with half of that content explicitly dedicated to women's empowerment. Furthermore, Community Radio Stations remain strictly prohibited from independently producing or broadcasting news and current affairs. They are legally restricted to airing unedited news bulletins sourced exclusively from Akashvani. The guidelines also forbid any obscene, defamatory, communal, or anti-national content, requiring all stations to preserve broadcast recordings for at least three months to facilitate ongoing regulatory scrutiny.