(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
The government on Thursday told Parliament that it does not
agree with the conclusions drawn by 'Reporters Without Borders' in
the World Press Freedom Index that ranked India 150th among 180
nations, Trend reports citing NDTV.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, in a
written reply in the Rajya Sabha, said the government did not agree
with the conclusions drawn by the organisation for various reasons
including 'very low sample size, little or no weightage to
fundamentals of democracy, adoption of a methodology which is
questionable and non-transparent'.
Mr Thakur was responding to separate questions put by Leader of
the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and AAP member
Sanjay Singh.
The minister said the Government was committed to ensuring the
right to freedom of speech and expression enshrined under Article
19 of the Constitution.
Mr Thakur said the Press Council of India (PCI) has been set up
under the Press Council Act, 1978 mainly to preserve the freedom of
the press and improve the standards of newspapers and news agencies
in the country.
He said the PCI looks into the complaints filed 'by the Press'
regarding curtailment of press freedom.
Mr Thakur said the PCI was also empowered to take suo moto
cognizance in matters on the pressing issues concerning freedom of
the Press and safeguarding of its high standards.
In response to Kharge's question on the arrest of journalists,
the minister said the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) does not
maintain data separately on attacks on journalists.
According to the World Press Freedom Index, released in May,
India's ranking dropped to 150th position from last year's 142nd
rank among 180 nations.
MENAFN22072022000187011040ID1104577594
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.