The two ministers have assumed charge at a time when several organisations including digital media outlets have gone to court against new digital media rules.
Anurag Thakur took charge as the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting on Thursday. Speaking to reporters after assuming charge, Thakur said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given him a huge responsibility and he will put in his best efforts to fulfil it. Later in the day, Tamil Nadu BJP chief L Murugan took over as the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting in the presence of Thakur. The two ministers have assumed charge at a time when several organisations including digital media outlets, Press Trust of India, 13 legacy media organisations including Manorama, Indian Express, Hindustan Times, The Hindu and Times of India have challenged the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 as ultra vires, void and violative of fundamental rights under the Constitution. The I&B Ministry has also been aggressively acting against Twitter saying it has lost immunity in India for not abiding to the new rules. After taking charge, Anurag Thakur held a brief meeting with the senior officials of the ministry. Information and Broadcasting Secretary Amit Khare was present in the meeting. "In an interaction with senior officials of various media units and Prasar Bharati, Thakur said his endeavour will be to work with all the media heads as a team," the ministry said in a statement. Speaking to reporters after assuming charge, Murugan thanked the prime minister for giving him the opportunity to serve as the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and said he will sincerely perform his duties. He also thanked Modi for giving "adequate representation" to the people of Tamil Nadu in the Union Council of Ministers. PTI Inputs
No comments:
Post a Comment