Rajya Sabha expresses concern on paid news
Rajya Sabha on Thursday expressed concern over publication of paid news and demanded that the Press Council of India (PCI) should make public its report on the issue. Raising the paid news issue during Zero Hour, CPI(M) member Brinda Karat said the PCI is suppressing vital information of paid news “scandal”.
Cutting across party lines, members demanded that the unedited report by a sub-committee constituted to look into the matter by the PCI, should be tabled in Parliament as well as on PCI’s website.
Ms Karat said the sub-committee had produced a 72-page report on the menace. But instead of making the report public, efforts are being made to remove the names of big media houses, which indulged in cash for news
“It would be tragic if a watchdog is reduced to lapdog of big corporate houses,” she said.
Meanwhile, both the DMK and AIADMK members on Thursday opposed the Centre’s decision to introduce Common Admission Test for medical colleges though through separate mentions.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, AIADMK member Paul Manoj Pandiyan said the decision amounts to infringement on the rights of the states and will affect the prospects of students from rural areas. He said the decision has sent shock waves among poor students wanting to enter into medical field. Supporting the issue, DMK member T. Siva said students from rural areas were not getting opportunity to enrol in medical colleges.
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