The Hindu : Govt. to withdraw draft bill on Cable TV Act

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Wednesday, Jul 17, 2002

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National

Govt. to withdraw draft bill on Cable TV Act

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JULY 16. In the face of opposition that could have well defeated the amendment Bill to the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, in the Rajya Sabha, the Government today decided to withdraw the draft legislation for wider consultations.

A decision to this effect was taken today after some Opposition leaders raised the issue at the Business Advisory Committee meeting of the Rajya Sabha. They were of the opinion that to do justice to the amendments, all viewpoints ought to be heard and taken into consideration. There was also a suggestion that the Bill be referred to the House Select Committee before it was brought up for passage. By afternoon, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Pramod Mahajan, informed the Opposition members that the Bill — which was to be moved in the Rajya Sabha by the Information & Broadcasting Minister, Sushma Swaraj this afternoon — had been taken off the list of business for the week. In the meantime, the Ministry is expected to discuss the Bill — which was passed by the Lok Sabha towards the end of the budget session — with the Opposition parties to evolve a consensus.

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