'Bharat Bandh': No major impact on normal life in Karnataka in initial hours
Don't cause inconvenience to public, says CM
Bengaluru(PTI): The 'Bharat Bandh' called by farmer unions to protest the Centre's three farm laws has not had any major impact on the normal life in the initial few hours since it began on Monday, with all business and establishments functioning normally and transport services available.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai appealed to farmer unions that have called for the bandh not to cause inconvenience to public who are just recovering from the impact of COVID-19, and asked them to express their difference in any other form.
The protest by farmers and attempts by them to organise a 'Rasta Roko' on major national and state highways during the dawn-to-dusk bandh has led to disruption in vehicular movement in several parts of the state, especially in Bengaluru, and this is likely to intensify later in the day, with more farmers gathering.
Farmers' organisations have planned a protest march to Town Hall from K R Puram and other parts of Bengaluru city and will converge there at about 11 am, for a rally, farmer leader Kodihalli Chandrashekar said.
There are also reports about police detaining some protesters and farmer leaders.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Hubbali, the chief minister appealed the protesters to express their protest in any other forms, but not to cause inconvenience to public by observing a bandh.
"People have just started recovering from COVID and are indulging in businesses and other financial activities, people should not face any trouble again....I have appealed to the protesters not to cause inconvenience to people and cooperate," Bommai said.
Police have been instructed to take all the necessary precautionary measures to maintain peace and order in the wake of Bharat Bandh, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said in a statement on Sunday night.
Directions have been given to maintain a special vigil to see to it that no untoward incidents take place in Bengaluru city, district centres and all sensitive areas in the state, he said.
With several organisations only extending moral support for the bandh, it is unlikely to have any major impact on the normal life in the city and other parts of the state, police sources said.
Citing losses due to COVID pandemic and its induced lockdown, public transport (KSRTC and BMTC) employees' unions, hotel owners association, lorry, auto, rickshaw and taxi owners unions have said they support the protest, but will continue to operate. Metro services are also operating as usual.
The Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS), association of private schools in the state had said that schools will remain open and they are extending only moral support for the bandh.
Restaurants and eateries were seen functioning as usual.
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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.
