Omar thanks Home Minister Shah for reopening 14 tourist destinations in J-K
Srinagar (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah for reopening 14 tourist destinations in the Union Territory, which were closed in April last year following the Pahalgam terror attack.
"Recently, the Union home minister had come to Jammu and I had talks with him. Before that, I met him in Delhi as well. My request with regard to tourism was that the areas which have been closed should be reopened. There is no purpose served by keeping these destinations closed. We did not close these places even at the worst of times.
"I was assured by the home minister that these places will be reopened and orders for the same have now been issued. I am thankful to the home minister for that. The local people have borne losses (due to closure). Now, I hope people will visit these beautiful places," Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
The lieutenant governor, who heads the security apparatus in Jammu and Kashmir, on Monday ordered the reopening of 11 tourist destinations in Kashmir and three in the Jammu region. These destinations were among the 80-odd places which were shut down for visitors in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 last year that left 26 persons, mostly tourists, dead.
On the controversial remarks made by BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa, the chief minister said the truth has prevailed. "The truth did come out after that. The case was against him (Randhawa). If my information is correct, a case was filed against him for occupying government land," Abdullah said.
He alleged there is always a difference in the words and deeds of BJP leaders.
"It is a trait of the BJP that there is a difference in their words and deeds. They talk about Jammu and Kashmir and nominated a person to the Rajya Sabha from here. He spent 90 per cent of his (MPLAD) funds in Uttar Pradesh.
"He (Ghulam Ali Khatana) is from J-K. He has taken an official house here. Khatana sahib lives here and works from here but when it comes to CDF, he spends 90 per cent of it in UP," Abdullah alleged.
Asked about electricity supply during the month of Ramzan, the chief minister said he is scheduled to chair a meeting of officials where all aspects and arrangements will be reviewed.
"We would make all efforts to ensure that people face the least amount of difficulty during the holy fasting month," he added.
On the protests by daily wagers, Abdullah said there is no need for the street protests as the government has announced on the floor of the Assembly that they shall be regularised this year as per a scheduled process.
"It has been said on the floor of the Assembly that they will be regularised through a process under a time table. If somebody is provoking them for political benefits, they should not become tools in their hands.
"I will listen to you and do anything if you ask with love. Try intimidating me, then nothing will happen. If they have something to say, they should come and tell me. These street protests are not good for them or their future. We have said they will be regularised this year in a time-bound manner," he added.
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Union government assumes full control over TV ratings, TRAI role curtailed: Report
New Delhi: The Union government has assumed full control over television audience measurement, removing the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) from oversight of the ratings system that underpins the country’s ₹36,000 crore television advertising market, according to a report published on Wednesday.
The report in Mint said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) now has exclusive authority over the framework governing how television ratings are measured and regulated. TRAI had been entrusted with oversight of TV ratings in 2012 during the UPA government’s tenure. TRAI is no longer mentioned in the relevant policy document, effectively vesting sole authority in the MIB.
The report said TRAI will continue to regulate other aspects of broadcasting, including channel pricing, advertising caps, interconnection and distribution norms, service quality and compliance standards. Its role in determining how ratings agencies track viewing behaviour has been withdrawn.
Television Rating Points (TRPs), which reflect viewership patterns, guide advertisers in deciding where to allocate spending across channels and time slots.
A government source quoted in the report said the ministry could modify TRAI’s decisions even when the regulator oversaw broadcasting.
A former CEO of Prasar Bharati told the newspaper that the MIB has historically regulated rating agencies through licensing and guidelines, and by holding them accountable under existing norms.
During its tenure overseeing ratings, TRAI had taken decisions affecting the broadcast sector, which included capping advertising time at 12 minutes per hour following complaints about excessive commercial breaks and it now remains unclear how these matters will be addressed under the revised arrangement.
Satya N. Gupta, former principal advisor at TRAI, was quoted as saying that merging regulatory functions with policy oversight and removing an independent regulator from the process was a retrograde step.
TRAI’s involvement in broadcasting had earlier attracted criticism as well. In 2012, its consultation paper on quantitative limits on television advertising was viewed by some as overlapping with the Advertising Standards Council of India’s code. Subsequent recommendations covering television audience measurement, ownership of news channels and issues such as paid news had also raised concerns among sections of the industry.
Television ratings have faced scrutiny in recent years, including during the controversy involving the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), where officials of the ratings body were prosecuted over allegations of manipulation of viewership data.
