Petitioning Prime Minister of India
Request for Independent Media Regulator
To the Prime Minister of India,
Subject – Request for Independent Regulator for News Media
Adarneeye Pradhan Mantriji
This request is not for imposing censorship on media, but ensuring accountability, verifiable & authentic news report.
The request for Independent Regulator for News Media would empower the citizen to seek redressal at least cost & at maximum speed, we already have DRT, TRAI, REHULATOR FOR ELECTRICITY, CONSUMER FORUMS FOR COMPLAINTS IN CASE OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES. Over the years it has been witnessed, internal regulators like editors guild and other regulation like Press Council has miserably failed and are toothless paper tigers
In any Democracy, Media plays a very important interface between government & public, and its responsibility gets amplified in the democracy as large as ours. However, over the years, it has not only been felt, but even documented with hard evidence malicious and agenda based activity is furthered under the garb of journalism. Case after case, events after events, the journalists and editors of Mainstream Media, especially English Media are been exposed of their brazen rumour mongering to further agenda; so much that at times, the events are pushed to the level of anti-national activity, which is very dangerous. You have personally been at the receiving end of their malicious campaign about 2002 Gujarat riots. You have personally witnessed how the reporting was done during those difficult times.
The highest Judiciary of India, Honorable Supreme Court of India in its Judgment on Criminal Appeal NOS.1899-1900 OF 2011, has in detailed expose the worrisome role of Media, which endangered safety not only of our soldiers fighting the terrorist but also of civilians, at large (link -http://sci.nic.in/outtoday/39511.pdf , Page 245 to 249). The Highest court has further observed need of external regulator
It’s only after advent of social Media, the lies criminal agenda of Media are not only exposed but also forced to be retracted; however in absence of independent regulator, it becomes bit difficult to rein in the misdeeds of media. The social Media is filled with the documentary proof (screen shots, where misleading articles or statement of journalists / editors are recorded, which are either inflammatory or potential enough to attack the social fabric of India). In its sheer hatred to majority community of India, the media would not think twice before casting aspersions and even not bothering about providing evidence or retracting after exposed.
The most recent case of unfortunate lynching of an Indian citizen at Dadri, was highly communalized by media, even when state government’s report has not mentioned any religious angle. The act of media also raises its suspicion over selective reportage, and pushing victim hood card among select community.
A senior journalist was found in fist fight with NRI only because NRI had different and positive view for India, as against prejudiced negative view of journalist.
Details of CWG scam and 2G scam, along with Nira Radia tape case fully exposes active involvement of journalist not only in corruption but also misleading nation at large for their petty interest.
Blog portals like http://ioretradingindia.blogspot.in/,http://www.mediacrooks.com/ and http://www.opindia.com/ are among many others, that are filled expose of biased Media, for over past many years
In light of above gross misdeeds and anti national activities of Indian Media, we earnestly urge your esteem self to kindly consider for appointing Independent Media Regulator, who can ensure
To Prevent misreporting & willfully manufactured news, solely to disturb the society
- To enforce accountability in media
- To Restrict Media inflame passions & defame majority community; and insulting their religion and country as a whole
- To prevent media houses & persons to play politics & become fixers; which furthers not only corruption but also pushes crony capitalism
- That all news have hard evidence & not fiction of imagination
- To address public complaints against media & it's persons; and also for quick redressal of public complaints.even source base news should have hard evidence, source not be disclosed but evidence of news must be available
- Protect the most vulnerable section of the society who are not that well educated & are susceptible to exploitation by media reports & political parties bent upon creating unrest in the country.
It is the foremost responsibility of responsive government, to safeguard interest and protect vulnerable citizens from malicious attack (need not be violent directly; but have potential to inflame situation; putting the peace of society at risk).
Hence we request you to kindly sanction Independent Media Regulator, and thus refrain the brazen media from its anti national and anti society antics at the earliest
Request by an INDIAN
(You can too sign the petition here; On 1st January' 2016, the signed petition will be sent to Prime Minister of India, via registered mail)
https://www.change.org/p/prime-minister-of-india-request-for-independent-media-regulator
Old Media Simply Does Not Get It; A Twitter Handle Does Not Make You Social Media Savvy BY R Jagannathan
Jagannathan is Editorial Director, Swarajya. He tweets at @TheJaggi.
Given the poor articulation of the Modi government’s stand on various contentious issues, it should be happy that it gets so much vocal support from the social media, unasked for, unthanked for.
BJP member of parliament Chandan Mitra’s dismissive statement about the twitterati offended the latter for the simple reason that this constituency comprised the most voluble support base for Narendra Modi and his party in the run-up to 2014. It still continues to bat on behalf of the Modi government when needed.
When you kick your own supporters in the butt, you are bound to get howls of protest. However, there are some more serious conclusions to be drawn from Mitra’s comments – and they say more about old media than the twitterati. They underscore the old Lutyens media habit of taking only itself seriously and dismissing everyone else as an interloper. These habits die hard, even if you happen to represent a party that sets great store by social media.
It is nobody’s case that you get only great ideas or thoughtful comments on social media. You get the whole range – the good, the bad, the ugly, the unprintable.
Let’s consider what Mitra said in its entirely and then draw the right pointers. He said:
“BJP policy is not decided by twitterati. I absolutely and categorically state that twitterati does not influence policy. Yes, it is a useful sounding board as to how some people with nothing very much better to do express their opinion on various subjects.”
More than arrogance, which is what offended the twitterati, there is ignorance. Old media simply does not get it. And new media is not about starting a Facebook page or buying followers on Twitter. Here’s why Mitra got it in spades.
First there is the assumption that people on Twitter have nothing better to do. There will surely be some people with nothing better to do than squat day in and day out on Twitter, but you could say the same for some people in Mitra’s office or his party too. The reason why Twitter (or Facebook or Whatsapp) seem to draw so much response so quickly is the ease with which you can do so instantly between doing other work. It is not about having nothing else to do. You can do it from a car, a bus, and during lunch-hour.Second, Mitra rightly says that the social media offer a “useful” sounding board for instant feedback on hot-button issues, and surely there is no need to develop policy based purely on what the twitterati have to say. But if democracy is about vox pop, it is equally clear that most policies are not the result of the erudition spewed in old media. The old media manufactured an entire “intolerance” debate for weeks from thin air and anecdotal evidence, showing that trolling is not just a Twitter affair, but also an old media trait. What would be called trolling on Twitter has now been taken to the perfect pitch by shrill newspapers and raucous TV anchors. Wild commenting is not just about social media.
Third, social media has democratised opinion – which is exactly what intellectuals should applaud. It has widened the democratic process, even if this process may currently involve only the better off sections of society with access to computers, tablets and smartphones. After all, no one seemed to mind when only the poor voted and tilted elections in the direction of populist left demagogues; now that more views are coming to the fore from the other classes, it is demeaning to write off this voice as people with nothing better to do.
Fourth, many old media icons and big names are on social media, but their attitudes reflect a talk-down style, not a conversational one between equals. Barring a few, they prefer broadcast over conversation. This is an old media habit of talking from a pedestal that refuses to die. Having a Twitter handle is not the same as interacting on social media. Old media habits do not work in new media. Social media does not respect your standing in the old media. However, what do we see? We see well-known figures in old media, even those with lakhs of followers on Twitter, whining about abuse. Not that this is at all acceptable, but what is the statistical chance that if you have a million followers, one or two will not be a crank or rogue?
Fifth, the social media may currently be dominated by right-wing voices, but this is largely because these voices were – and still are – stifled in old media. One should not be surprised if anonymous voices on Twitter are often the same newsroom guys whose views are blackballed by authoritarian editors with their monochromatic views on issues.
So it’s not about social media voices dictating foreign policy, which Mitra was vehement about denying. It’s about listening and engaging as equals. Given the poor articulation of the Modi government’s stand on various contentious issues, it should be happy that it gets so much vocal support unasked for, unthanked for.
It’s time for the pillars of old media to wake up and talk to social media on equal terms. Prime-time may make you seem like a hero, but on social media a hero is as hero does.
Land Heralds paper rebirth
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| RASHEED KIDWAI |
Sept. 10: When land is precious, what is the best way to preserve it? Revive a newspaper, better still if it has a nationalistic past.
National Herald, Jawaharlal Nehru’s dream project founded in 1938 and the Congress’s voice for many years, has resumed publication from Indore, but nobody in the party seems to be aware of it.
The newspaper, which had suffered massive losses for years, had shut down in March 2008 when the employees’ union and Congress treasurer Motilal Vora signed an agreement to declare its death. The employees of the Delhi-based newspaper were paid a total compensation of over Rs 40 crore.
But suddenly this month, the paper has resurfaced from Indore, where it never had an edition but owned a sprawling plot of prime land on lease, with its trademark masthead saying “Founded by Jawaharlal Nehru.”
Behind the revival is Vishnu Goyal, a one-time stockbroker and chit fund operator who has assumed the role of “chief editor”.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Vora, a former Madhya Pradesh chief minister, sounded a tad perplexed. “I have to examine the records of the ownership of the Indore land,” he said.
Asked if he had assigned any franchisee or authorised its publication, the Congress treasurer said: “You are well aware that we announced suspension of the publication last year.”
Documents with the office of Indore additional district magistrate Narayan Patidar, who is empowered to sanction publications from the city, include a letter from The Associated Journals Ltd, New Delhi, National Herald’s parent company, authorising the newspaper’s publication and use of the “National Herald” title.
What is intriguing is that the letter is dated June 5, 2008, two months after Vora asked allNational Herald employees to opt for a compulsory retirement scheme.
Saud Akhtar, former president of the National Herald Employees’ Union, said he “would not like to believe” such details. “It is baffling how the management could even think of starting the paper when it was giving a burial to the existing one,” he said.
Akhtar said the union had no idea the paper had resumed publication. “This was never discussed or told to us. Is Soniaji aware of it?” he asked. “We were always told that whenever the paper is revived, it will be in Delhi and that we will be taken into confidence.”
Sunil Salve, the editor of the paper, said they were utilising the land allotted to the organisation. “Land had been allotted to the paper and so we have revived it. A copy of the paper was given to Voraji and to Madhya Pradesh governor Rameshwar Thakur.”
Thakur had served as chairman of the publication during the early 1990s. He, however, refused to say anything on the Herald’s revival. “I do not wish to comment as I am no longer part of it. As governor, I meet many persons and receive books, magazines, papers, etc.,” he said.
The paper is being published from a tract at Indore’s Press Complex, surrounded by several newspaper offices. Local authorities said the 22,000sqft plot in the prime Palasia area was obtained by Associated Journals at a concessional rate from the Indore Development Authority in the early nineties when P.V. Narasimha Rao was Prime Minister.
At present, the makeshift office occupies barely 5 per cent of the total plot. According to city property agents, the commercial value of the land will be between Rs 3 crore and Rs 5 crore if one goes by a conservative estimate.
Patidar, the additional district magistrate, said the land was under “some kind of dispute”. “We will look into the matter if any complaint is filed,” he said.
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https://storify.com/Kumareshsomi/natioanal-herald-fraud-in-brief
1. UDAY is a path breaking reform for realizing the Prime Minister’s vision of affordable and accessible 24×7 power for all. It is another decisive step furthering the landmark strides made in the power sector over the past one and a half years, with the sector witnessing a series of historic improvements across the entire value chain, from fuel supply (highest coal production growth in over 2 decades), to generation (highest ever capacity addition), transmission (highest ever increase in transmission lines) and consumption (over 2.3 crore LED bulbs distributed).
2. The weakest link in the value chain is distribution, wherein DISCOMs in the country have accumulated losses of approximately Rs. 3.8 lakh crore and outstanding debt of approximately Rs. 4.3 lakh crore (as on March, 2015).
3. Financially stressed DISCOMs are not able to supply adequate power at affordable rates, which hampers quality of life and overall economic growth and development. Efforts towards 100 percent village electrification, 24X7 power supply and clean energy cannot be achieved without performing DISCOMs.
4. DISCOMs are trapped in a vicious cycle with operational losses being funded by debt. Outstanding debt of DISCOMs has increased from about Rs. 2.4 lakh crore in 2011-12 to about Rs. 4.3 lakh crore in 2014-15, with interest rates upto14-15 percent.
5. UDAY looks to assure the rise of vibrant and efficient DISCOMs through a permanent resolution of past as well as potential future issues of the sector. It empowers DISCOMs with the opportunity to break even in the next 2-3 years. This is through four initiatives (i) Improving operational efficiencies of DISCOMs; (ii) Reduction of cost of power; (iii) Reduction in interest cost of DISCOMs; (iv) Enforcing financial discipline on DISCOMs through alignment with State finances.
6. Operational efficiency improvements like compulsory smart metering, up-gradation of transformers, meters etc., energy efficiency measures like efficient LED bulbs, agricultural pumps, fans & air-conditioners etc. will reduce the average AT&C loss from around 22 percent to 15 percent and eliminate the gap between Average Revenue Realized (ARR) and Average Cost of Supply (ACS) by 2018-19.
7. Reduction in cost of power would be achieved through measures such as increased supply of cheaper domestic coal, coal linkage rationalization, liberal coal swaps from inefficient to efficient plants, coal price rationalization based on GCV (Gross Calorific Value), supply of washed and crushed coal, and faster completion of transmission lines. NTPC alone is expected to save Rs. 0.35 / unit through higher supply of domestic coal and rationalization / swapping of coal which will be passed on to DISCOMs / consumers.
8. Financial liabilities of DISCOMs are the contingent liabilities of the respective States and need to be recognized as such. Debt of DISCOMs is de facto borrowing of States which is not counted in de jure borrowing. However, credit rating agencies and multilateral agencies are conscious of this de facto debt in their appraisals. In line with the above and similar observations of Fourteenth Finance Commission, states shall take over 75 percent of DISCOM debt as on 30 September 2015 over two years – 50 percent of DISCOM debt shall be taken over in 2015-16 and 25 percent in 2016-17. This will reduce the interest cost on the debt taken over by the States to around 8-9 percent, from as high as 14-15 percent.
9. Further provisions for spreading the financial burden on States over three years, will give States flexibility in managing the interest payment on the debt taken over, within their available fiscal space in the initial few years. A permanent resolution to the problem of DISCOM losses is achieved by States taking over and funding at least 50 percent of the future losses (if any) of DISCOMs in a graded manner.
10. UDAY is a good example of the utilization of the best principles of cooperative and competitive federalism and has been evolved through discussions at the highest levels with multiple States. Adopting UDAY is optional for States, but provides the fastest, most efficient and financially most feasible way for providing 24X7 Power for All. It will be operationalised through a tri-partite agreement amongst the Ministry of Power, State Government and the DISCOM.
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