Already banned: I&B minister Vaishnaw on 'Sarke Chunar' controversy
New Delhi, Mar 18 (PTI): A Samajwadi Party MP in Lok Sabha on Wednesday raised the issue of the controversial song "Sarke Chunar" Sanjay Dutt's "KD The Devil" and the government said it has already been banned.
Anand Bhadoria raised the issue during Question Hour and said unchecked content on OTT platforms and social media was a bad influence.
In his response, Union information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the song has already been banned.
"A ban has been imposed on the song. The framers of Constitution placed certain reasonable restrictions, and we should function within those limits. Freedom of speech cannot be absolute, it has to be in the context of the society and culture,” Vaishnaw said.
"The way things are spreading rapidly today through digital medium, for the protection of the society, especially for the protection of children, women and deprived groups of the society, whatever hard actions should be taken, the government is ready to take them," he added.
The song, featuring Dutt and Nora Fatehi, was released on YouTube two days ago and quickly went viral for its shock value and lyrics that almost describe a sexual act. Since then, it has been the focus of outrage on social media and elsewhere.
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Centre must also act on Anganwadi honorarium hike: Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar
Bengaluru: Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar said it is not right to place the entire responsibility on the state government regarding the demand to increase honorarium for Anganwadi workers, and called on the Union government to step forward on the issue.
Replying to a question by Melukote MLA Darshan Puttannaiah during the Question Hour in the Budget session on Wednesday, the minister said Karnataka is among the states that provide higher honorarium to Anganwadi workers and helpers, ranking fourth in the country.
She said Anganwadi and ASHA workers play a key role in delivering government schemes to the public and the state government is committed to their welfare. Karnataka provides higher honorarium compared to many states, with only Haryana, Telangana and Kerala offering more, she added.
The minister said the Union government contributes Rs 2,700 as honorarium for Anganwadi workers, while the remaining Rs 9,800 is borne by the state government. She noted that in April last year, the state increased the honorarium by Rs 1,000 for Anganwadi workers and Rs 750 for helpers.
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Hebbalkar said the government has received requests for further increase, stating that the current honorarium is not sufficient considering the work involved. She added that a proposal has already been submitted to the Finance Department in this regard.
“If the Union government takes a step forward, we will also move ahead. They too must act,” she said.
The minister also announced that from the current year, government Montessori sections will be started in 5,000 Anganwadi centres. The aim is to provide quality early education along with nutrition.
She said around 17,000 Anganwadi teachers with qualifications such as BA, BEd, MA and MCom are currently working, and maintaining quality in these government Montessori centres will be a priority.
