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Delhi Edition of The Hindu
The autonomy façade Prasar Bharati Corporation is neither fish nor fowl(पक ष ). Called an autonomous corporation by an act passed in Parliament, it is so only in name as neither the employees numbering around 27,000 nor the government have wanted to let go of the government s premier broadcaster tag. A controversy surfaced again last week when media reports said that the corporation had issued an order to its news divisions asking them to subscribe to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-backed Hindustan Samachar news agency. The orders were clear-> The director general was the boss and his boss was the Information and Broadcasting Minister. Good time for -> debate whether the government needs a channel of its own. There are obstacles to that as recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) have ruled that State governments cannot have channels of their own. In this day and time when most media houses are only too willing to do the government s bidding, what will another channel achieve?
Continue Greater role clarity A sarkari channel would leave the viewer under no illusion when it comes to the source of the news, its veracity(सच च ई) and its presentation. A government channel would ensure that the Minister heading it would have the employees under her thumb. Both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have had problems adjusting to the autonomous corporation status, not knowing where to draw the line. Governments headed by both-> keep a close watch on news and other programmes even after Prasar Bharati was declared autonomous. Further, the CEOs at the helm so far have been bureaucrats. Perhaps it s time to drop pretence(द ख व ) of autonomy and restore the glory to the official broadcaster. Perhaps it s time to bring back Her Master s Voice again.
Prasar Bharati Prasar Bharati is India's largest public broadcasting agency. It is an autonomous body set up by an Act of Parliament and comprises 1)-Doordarshan Television Network and 2)-All India Radio, Which were earlier media units of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Parliament of India passed the Prasar Bharati Act to grant this autonomy in 1990, but it was not enacted until 15 September 1997. Shashi Sekhar Vembati is the current chairperson of Prasar Bharati
News Analysis Page-1- Regulator turns up heat on erring CAs The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has said 4,445 complaints have been registered against CAs as on June 30 this year, and punishment has been awarded in 402 cases until March 2017. CA regulator said it was pushing for amendments to the norms to help expedite action against wrongdoers in the profession.
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Continue Page-11- U.S. prods India on Pyongyang India is facing increased pressure to reduce North Korea s diplomatic presence in the country as Pyongyang flexes its military muscles. During talks with Indian officials last week, a U.S. State Department delegation took up the presence of a large number of North Korean diplomats in India, and urged New Delhi to shrink North Korea s diplomatic footprint in South Asia. India has criticised recent North Korean missile launches and nuclear tests. However, bilateral political and diplomatic ties, though minimal, have remained on track.
Continue Page-11- SC allows two firms to settle loan dispute In what may turn out to be a relief for corporate debtors facing insolvency proceedings, the Supreme Court used its extraordinary constitutional powers to allow two companies to withdraw from insolvency proceedings and settle their loan dispute, despite the case being admitted to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). Once the NCLT admits a case for initiating corporate insolvency resolution process under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code of 2016, it cannot be withdrawn even if the parties decide to settle the dispute between t hem. However, a Bench of Justices Rohinton Nariman and S.K. Kaul used the Supreme Court s powers to do complete justice under Article 142
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Continue Page-12- Housing prices are alive and kicking A new index shows prices across most cities have risen, despite stories of over supply and dull demand What is NHB Residex? NHB Residex from the National Housing Bank, designed by a technical advisory committee comprising Government representatives, lenders and property market players, is a set of benchmarks that aims to track housing price indicators across Indian cities. Originally flagged off in July 2007, the index was discontinued in 2015 and was refurbished and reintroduced earlier this month. It now sports enhanced city coverage (rising from 26 to 50, to be eventually raised to 100), a new base year (2012-13) and new data sources (with data from banks and home finance companies and market surveys). The NHB Residex currently offers two sets of quarterly Housing Price Indices (HPIs) across the cities it tracks.
Continue Page-14- New gold bond scheme may draw more investors The Government announced a few changes in its Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) Scheme recently. The primary change was the increase in the limit to 4 kg (from 0.5kg) for individuals This was probably done to encourage high net-worth individuals, rich farmers as well as trusts to invest in these bonds. Sovereign gold bond initially introduced by the Government in 2015 has achieved only limited success,
Continue Page-15- Vettel wins Hungarian GP Sebastian Vettel won a tense Hungarian GP on Sunday in a Ferrari one-two that stretched his championship lead to 14 points after Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton sportingly gave back third place to his teammate.
Last Day- Q s- Ans 1. Edicts of Ashoka were deciphered by British archaeologist and historian James Prinsep. 2. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) - under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. 3. Censor Board added two more categories in June 1983 a. "U/A" (unrestricted public exhibition subject to parental guidance for children below the age of twelve) and b. "S" (restricted to specialized audiences such as doctors or scientists).
Continue 4. 42nd Constitution amendment - officially known as The Constitution (Forty-second amendment) Act, 1976,» Enacted during the Emergency (25 June 1975 21 March 1977).» Brought about the most widespread changes to the Constitution in its history,» Sometimes called a "mini-constitution" or the "Constitution of India". 5. Originally there were 7 Fundamental Rights,» Later Right to property was removed and 6 Fundamental rights are present now. 6. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is an authority, established by the Constitution under Constitution of India/Part V->Article 148. 7. China will host the 9th BRICS summit in Xiamen on September 3rd, 4th and 5th, 2017.