Drug addiction challenge to national security: Kovind
New Delhi, June 26: Increased drug trafficking in states with international borders poses challenge to national security, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Tuesday.
"Increase in drug trafficking and drug abuse in the border areas is also associated with issues of terrorism and political unrest. That is why there is a need to be more vigilant in border states like Punjab and Manipur," he said in his address at an event on the occasion of 'International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking'.
He also presented the national awards for outstanding services in the field of prevention of alcoholism and substance (drug) abuse.
Kovind also notes that the country's geographical location between Myanmar-Laos-Thailand's 'Golden Triangle' and Iran-Afghanistan-Pakistan's 'Golden Crescent', makes the problem of drug abuse and illicit trafficking even more acute and complicated.
He also said that problem of drugs addiction and alcoholism negatively impacts the individual, family and society in multiple domains such as health, culture, development and politics.
"Misuse of illegal drugs is creating health challenges especially for the young generation and school going children," he said.
About eradication of drug addiction and problems associated with drug abuse, the President said it can be solved by awareness, prevention, incentives, and support efforts.
"In these efforts compassion and sympathy for the drug addicts is also necessary. Parents, teachers, doctors, voluntary organizations should be associated in the medical and rehabilitation efforts," Kovind said.
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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.
