The government has constituted a committee headed by noted film-maker Shyam 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.

In a bid to curb vehicular pollution, the government on Wednesday decided to implement stricter emission norms of Bharat Stage (BS) VI from April 1, 2020 by skipping BS-V altogether.

The development comes at a time when air pollution, especially in the Capital, has become a major issue. While Delhi is currently observing odd-even scheme, Supreme Court has cracked down on diesel vehicles by banning registration of diesel cars and SUVs with engines above 2,000 cc. 

By April 1, 2017, the whole of India is scheduled to come under BS-IV norm. BS-IV fuels contain 50 parts per million (ppm) sulphur, while BS-V and BS-VI grade fuel will have 10 ppm sulphur.

What is the then plan and the present ?

Previously, the fuels meeting Euro-IV or Bharat Stage-IV specifications were to be supplied throughout the country by April 2017, and BS-V or Euro-V grade fuel by April 1, 2020.

But now instead of a step-wise upgrade from BS-IV to BS-V and then from BS-V to BS-VI, the government plans to switch over directly from BS-IV to BS-VI auto fuels by 1 April 2020.

What is the difference?

BS-IV fuels contain 50 parts per million (ppm) sulphur, while BS-V and BS-VI grade fuel will have 10 ppm sulphur. Oil refineries had upgraded technology and invested over Rs.55,000 crore for production and supply of BS-III and BS-IV fuels. Another Rs.80,000 crore investment would be required for further upgrades.

Implementation:

BS-IV auto fuels are being supplied in the whole of north India covering Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, parts of Rajasthan and western UP.The rest of the country has BS-III grade fuel.

From 1 April 2016, all of Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha; Union Territories of Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Andaman and Nicobar will get BS-IV fuel.

The rest of the country will get supplies of BS-IV fuel from 1 April 2017.

What is Bharat stage emission standards and why?

Bharat stage emission standards are emission standards instituted by the Government of India to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine equipment, including motor vehicles.

Exposure to air pollution can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, which is estimated to be the cause for 620,000 early deaths in 2010, and the health cost of air pollution in India has been assessed at 3 per cent of its GDP.

The standards and the timeline for implementation are set by the Central Pollution Control Board under the Ministry of Environment & Forests and climate change.

The first emission norms were introduced in India in 1991 for petrol and 1992 for diesel vehicles.

On 29 April 1999 the Supreme Court of India ruled that all vehicles in India have to meet Euro I or India 2000 norms by 1 June 1999 and Euro II will be mandatory in the NCR by April 2000.

In 2002, the Indian government accepted the report submitted by theMashelkar committee.

The committee proposed a road map for the roll out of Euro based emission norms for India.

Based on the recommendations of the committee, the National Auto Fuel policy was announced officially in 2003.

The roadmap for implementation of the Bharat Stage norms were laid out till 2010.