Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal called for some form of self-regulation within the media and entertainment industry with regard to content. He was addressing the Valedictory Session of 11th CII Big Picture Summit in New Delhi today.
“On the one hand we talk of our culture, our heritage, our rich tradition, our family value system and on the other hand some of what we see on television and OTT platforms certainly is beyond what is ordinarily accepted standards within the Indian cultural landscape”, the Minister noted.
He said that modern, catchy and entertaining way of presentation of content was very welcome but a certain level of decency in presentation of India, Indian families and Indian culture is something that captains of the industry must pay attention to.
The messaging in these programs must not be disconnected with the Indian reality, he opined. He also said that if the industry does not self- regulate, there will be a clamor from society and the government would then have to undertake regulation.
The Minister also asked the industry to carefully introspect on novel entertainment avenues such as gaming to decide to what levels are we willing to allow our youngsters to be on betting platforms and other such areas. He emphasized that a balance must be struck here so as to not let these newer entertainment models to adversely affect our culture.
Goyal said that the media and entertainment sector presented a remarkable opportunity for India but stressed that this opportunity could be realized only if the entire industry and all its verticals and stakeholders came together to ideate and synergize. He appreciated the industry for keeping the citizens of the country informed, connected, engaged and entertained during the trying times of the pandemic through credible, quality content.
