Lok Sabha question on sporting telecast rights to Doordarshan

Minister of I&B Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, while answering a written question in Lok Sabha has said as below:

The Government has no proposal to set up a Regulatory Authority to monitor and regulate the earnings through telecasting of sporting events. However, the Government is contemplating the establishment of an autonomous authority to regulate Broadcasting sector.

Also there is no proposal to give Doordarshan the sole right of telecasting the sports events organised in the country. However, the Government has issued an order on 5th April, 2006 vide which live feeds of a number of specified sporting events of national importance held in India or abroad are required to be shared with Prasar Bharati with immediate effect by sports channels/sports management companies having television broadcasting rights for broadcast on their terrestrial and DTH networks. In case of cricket events, these shall include all matches featuring India and the finals and semi finals of international events.

It is however surprising that the Minister did not inform the members of the Parliament that Doordarshan and Ministry of I&B have been taken to the judiciary a few times and the judiciary has found no reason to uphold the Government Order of 5th April 2006.

It is also surprising that there were no follow-up questions on why such an executive order was sent out rather than contemplating a proper legislation, what the Ministry is proposing to do about the Ten Sports issue, whether the GO is fair or not, what have the International sporting bodies - in particular the ICC - conveyed to the Ministry of I&B etc.

This is the quality of debate in Lok Sabha. This is the quality of our representatives in the Parliament.