Centre to introduce law to regulate digital media: I&B Minister Anurag Thakur
Jaipur (PTI): Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur has said the Centre is working on a bill to regulate digital media.
He said there used to be one-way communication of news earlier, but with the development of electronic and digital media, communication of news has become multidimensional.
Now even small news of a village reaches the national platform through digital media, he said on Wednesday.
In a statement, Thakur said the government has left most of the print, electronic, and digital media to self-regulation.
"Digital media presents opportunities as well as challenges. To have a fine balance, the government will see what can be done on this.
"I would say that changes have to be brought in law, we will bring that to make your work simple and easy. We are working to introduce a bill," Thakur said at an event organised by Hindi news daily Mahanagar Times.
Thakur also that the process of registration of newspapers will be simplified and the central government will soon bring a new law to replace the 1867 Press and Registration of Books Act.
Under the new law, it will be possible to complete the registration process, which now takes about four months, in a week through online mode.
The minister also said newspapers should bring the "right news" before the general public at the "right time."
He said along with the shortcomings of the government, public welfare schemes and policies of the government should reach to the common people.
He urged the media to do its work "responsibly" and avoid creating an atmosphere of "fear and confusion."
Thakur assured journalists that the Centre takes care of their interests and added that financial assistance was provided to families of the journalists who died of Covid.
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I-T Department sends notice to actor-director Prithviraj Sukumaran over co-produced films
New Delhi: The Income Tax (I-T) Department has sent a notice to actor and director Prithviraj Sukumaran asking for more details about the money he earned from some films he co-produced. The notice was reportedly served during the last week of March by the I-T office in Kochi. He has been asked to respond by the end of April.
The department is seeking clarification on the income from a few movies Prithviraj was involved in as a co-producer. This comes at a time when the actor has been receiving criticism from right-wing groups over what seemed to be references to the 2002 Gujarat riots in his latest film L2: Empuraan, starring Mohanlal, which released on March 27.
On April 4, 2025, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out searches at the offices of Gokulam Gopalan, a Kerala-based businessman and one of the producers of L2: Empuraan, along with a few others. These searches were part of an investigation into alleged violations of foreign exchange rules.
The I-T notice to Prithviraj is believed to be linked to an ongoing investigation that began in December 2022 into suspected tax evasion within the Malayalam film industry.
At the time, tax officials had raided the homes and offices of several producers, including Antony Perumbavoor, Anto Joseph, and Listin Stephen, over concerns about unreported income, cash deals, and overseas investments. Prithviraj’s premises were also searched during that operation.
