UPSC Articles
Index Monitoring Cell (IMC)
Part of: GS Prelims and GS – II – Policies and interventions
In news
- Recently, Independent journalist P. Sainath struck a dissenting note in the report submitted by the Index Monitoring Cell (IMC).
- He pointed out that the right to dissent should be the central focus of press freedom.
Important value additions
Index Monitoring Cell (IMC)
- Set up by: Information and Broadcasting Ministry
- Objective: To improve India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index and to evolve an objective yardstick to gauge media freedom.
- It is a 15-member committee.
- It has four journalists and government functionaries.
- Chaired by: Kuldeep Singh Dhatwalia, Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau
Recommendations of report
- Decriminalising of defamation. India is one of the few countries in the world to criminalise defamation.
- Consent of the Press Council of India is a prerequisite before filing an FIR against the media or a publication.
- Sainath has pointed out that the report failed in its objective to analyse the World Press Freedom Index and India’s performance in it with a view to identify areas of strengths and concern related to press freedom in India.
