Skip to main content

Government sets up panel to revamp Censor Board

The government has constituted a committee headed by noted film-makerShyam Benegal to look into revamp of Censor Board.

The Committee has been requested to submit its recommendations within two months.

Why Committee?

The move is meant to eliminate any kind of arbitrariness and discretion in the censorship process.

The CBFC(Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has found itself at the centre of several controversies over censorship and cuts made to films ever since Pahlaj Nihalani took over as its chairperson.

It was criticised for making several “cuts” in the film Spectre, “blurring some visuals” in the movie Angry Indian Goddesses, and removing curses and certain expressions from other films.

That many CBFC members opposed Nihalani’s decisions openly did not help matters

Expectations from the committee:

  • The recommendations of this committee are expected to provide a holistic framework and enable those tasked with the work of certification of films to discharge their responsibilities keeping in view this framework.

  • The committee would be expected to take note of the best practices in various parts of the world, especially where the film industry is given sufficient and adequate space for creative and aesthetic expression.

  • The Committee would recommend broad guidelines under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act for the benefit of the chairperson and other members of the Screening Committee. 

  • The committee will also look into the “staffing pattern of CBFC” in an effort to recommend a framework which would provide efficient, transparent and user-friendly services .

Who is shyam benegal?

Shyam Benegal  is an Indian director and screenwriter. 

He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991.

 On 8 August 2007, Benegal was awarded the highest award in Indian cinema for lifetime achievement, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2005.

He has won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi seven times.

Benegal also lead  Samvidhaan, a 10-part mini-series revolving around the making of Indian Constitution aired on Rajya Sabha TV .

Who are the other members of the committee ?

The other Members of the Committee include Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Piyush Pandey, Bhawana Somaaya , Nina Lath Gupta and Joint Secretary (Films) as Member Convenor.

What is Central Board of Film Certification ?

The Central Board of Film Certification (often referred to as the Censor Board) is a statutory censorship and classification body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.

It is tasked with “regulating the public exhibition of films under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act 1952”.

It assigns certifications to films, television shows, television ads, and publications for exhibition, sale or hire in India. Films can be publicly exhibited in India only after they are certified by the Board.

The Board consist of 25 other non-official members and a Chairperson (all of whom are appointed by Central Government).

What is a statutory body?

It is a non-constitutional body. This body is created by statute i.e. act of parliament.
A cabinet resolution can be passed to establish this body. It has to rely upon its statute to derive power.
Ex: Planning commission, National commission for OBCs, SEBI etc.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

India Tech Vision-2035

India Tech Vision-2035 India's technology thinktank under the ministry of science & technology has come out with `Technology Vision 2035' here at the ongoing Indian Science Congress, identifying the challenges ahead and how they can be dealt with through technological interventions while realising the dream of a developed India by the year 2035. The thinktank -Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) -in the vision document lists a technology roadmap for India, giving details of 12 sectors and technologies that in some cases exist but need to be deployed, some in the pilot stage that must be scaled up and technologies in R&D stage. It, in fact, talks about many future technologies, ranging from flying cars, real time translation software, personalised medicine, wearable devices, e-sensing (e-nose and e-tongue) to 100% recyclable materials among others which may be used in different areas to solve day-to-day problems “The trajectories del...

Points to Remember for World Geography-AFRICA

Sirocco is a type of hot wind blowing from Sahara  to Mediterranean. Swahili is the oldest surviving African language. The country Zaire has the maximum Hydro- electric  Power  potential  in Africa. The country Djibouti is facing the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb. Dar-es-Salam is the easternmost terminus of Tanjara railways which begins from Katanga  mineral  belt. Ostrich is the flightless bird of Kalahari Desert. Ethiopia is the place of origin of coffee. Pretoria is the administrative capital of S. Africa. Nilots are the aborigines of upper    Nile. River Zaire is the only river that crosses the equator  twice. Nubian  desert  lies  in Egypt. The countries Ethiopia and Somalia form  the  Horn  of Africa. High Veld is the temperate grassland of South  Africa. Africa is the most tropical of all   continents. Most part of Kalahari Desert lies in Botswana. The Farmers of the Egypt ar...

India at 90th rank in terms of energy security, access: World Economic Forum

India  has been ranked at the  90th place in a list of 126 countries compiled by World Economic Forum (WEF) on the basis of their ability to deliver secure, affordable  and sustainable energy, which was topped by Switzerland . The latest  Global Energy Architecture Performance Index  Report, explored the energy architecture of 126 countries based on their ability to provide energy access across three dimensions of the "energy triangle" - affordability, environmental sustainability, security and access. The list was topped by Switzerland followed by Norway and Sweden in the second and third place, respectively. Others in the top 10 include France (4th), Denmark (5th), Austria (6th), Spain (7th), Colombia (8th), New Zealand (9th) and Uruguay (10th). Among the BRIC nations, Brazil was the top performer as it was ranked at the 25th place, followed by Russia (52nd), India (90th), China (94)y. Regarding India, the report noted that it is "facing a vast array o...