To bring in transparency and avoid controversies in film certification, the Central Board of Film Certification has been asked to offer certification through online processes by September 2012.
The information and broadcasting ministry is understood to have instructed the CBFC, under its time-bound list of goals, to put in place such mechanism by September.
It is understood that the directive was issued by information and broadcasting secretary Uday Verma at a meeting with CBFC officials held on Monday. Under the new process, film producers will be able to submit their films through an online process.
Official sources stated that producers will also be able to check the status of their application online, which effectively means that there will be transparency in the process and less chances of corrupt practices.
The I&B secretary has also asked the CBFC to come up with a vision statement for the next five years.
The need for a vision statement was felt as the CBFC is the certifying agency for films and plays a critical role for the film sector. A need was also felt for streamlining all certification processes and demands for the same from stakeholders were also being made.
Sources said that the regional offices of the CBFC have also been asked to come up with best possible plans for dealing with certification issues and to share it amongst themselves. The CBFC has nine regional offices in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Cuttack and Guwahati.