Today I heard about a grand wedding of an Indian tycoon (Ambani's son) from a friend of mine, and he showed me some videos of it too. He said famous and powerful people from around the world have been invited to it, and the cost of the event was going to be several Billions (of Indian Rupees or USD, I don't know). If you think about it, India is a country with a higher population of substandard living conditions. There are innocent and miserable children who are forced to work for a mere subsistence, being deprived of education, health facilities, and food and water. I remember a movie based on a true story in which Akshey Kumar was playing the leading role where he makes sanitary towels (pads) for poor women who could not afford it. In such a country, a single wedding event spends billions of money. What a crappy world we are living! You could imagine how much wealth this family has amassed. On the other, this "mental disease" of exorbitant spending must be highly we
CHAPTER XXXV
THE INFORMAITON AND MASS COMMUNICATION COMMISSION (IMC)
296. (1) There shall be an Information and Mass Communication Commission (in this Chapter referred to as the “Commission”) consisting of five members, two of whom shall have not less than fifteen years of experience in journalism, appointed by President subject to the provisions of Article 185. President shall appoint one member as the Chairman of the Commission.
(2) The quorum for any meeting of the Commission shall be three members.
297.
Provisions of Articles 186, 187, 188, 190, 193,
194, 202, 203, 223, and paragraph (2) and (6) of Article 184, paragraph (5) of
Article 195 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to this Commission.
(a) To
foster, educate people on, and protect the right to information of the people;
(b) To
advise and train State officers in relation to right to information;
(c) Prepare
guidelines, fee schedules, and formats of delivery of requested information
that institutions bound to the right to information as listed in paragraph
29(1) shall comply with;
(d) To
ensure institutions bound to the right to information as listed in paragraph
29(1) employ an Information Officer and a Designated Officer both charged with
the responsibility to entertain right to information requests in such entity,
as per the laws and regulations of the country;
(e) To
ensure that websites of State entities shall be updated conforming to the
guidelines given by the Commission;
(f) To entertain complaints made against Designated Officers;
(2) in terms of mass communication:
(a) To
enshrine and substantiate the principle that mass communication, media,
reporting, and press as neutral watchdogs and objective observers is an
integral part of the State and good government;
(b) To
recognize journalist and journalism and protect their independence from
interference from government;
(c) To
promulgate, in consultation with the journalists, guidelines and code of ethics
for journalists and journalism;
(d) To
recognize persons with minimum qualifications and experience as per the
guidelines issued by the Commission as “Professional Journalists” by issuing
them an Journalist ID which shall confer on him many privileges as listed
below:
(i) To attend any public function or meeting including
Cabinet Press Conference, Court Proceedings, Parliament Sessions, State
Assembly Sessions, Committee stage sessions of Parliament and State Assembly, Provincial
Council sessions, Local Council sessions, political rally, public lectures,
conferences, exhibitions, and the such;
(ii) to keep secret of the source of news or unpublished information such that
no person including a court of law shall not force a Journalist divulge such
source of news or unpublished information;
(iii) not to be restricted to access to roads and travelling, or a public event
even in a situation of emergency or curfew;
(iv) to have a news or reporting agency be registered in the Commission;
Provided that any Citizen shall have the right to practise journalism without
such Journalist ID.
(e) To
recognize and issue Media License to media institutions operating news agency,
television channel, radio channel, paper newspapers, news channel on the
Internet:
Provided that media institutions shall employ only Professional Journalists
with Journalist ID as their staff Journalists;
Further provided that owner or the Chief Executive Officer of a Media
institution shall be a Professional Journalist;
(f) To
protect the privacy and human rights of Citizens against malpractice of
journalism by entertaining complaints against journalists or media
institutions. The Commission shall have the power to revoke any Journalist ID
offered to a journalist and to revoke any Media License offered to a media
institution who has been proved, through a thorough and fair investigation, wrongful
in practice of journalism:
Provided that the Journalist whose Journalist ID has been canceled as per the
provisions of this subparagraph shall have the right to appeal against such cancelation
in a Provincial Court;
Further provided that the media institution whose Media License has been
canceled as per the provisions of this subparagraph shall have the right to
appeal against such cancelation in a Provincial Court, and during such appeal
proceeding, the media institution, adhering to the instructions of the
Commission, shall proceed to function as a media institution as if no such
cancelation has been effected until a verdict is obtained from the court;
(g) To work with the Anti-corruption Commission to
obtain Declaration of Assets and Liabilities of Professional Journalists.
299. (1) The Commission shall assume the functions, duties, powers, and responsibilities of the Right to Information Commission established under the Right to Information Act, No. 12 of 2016 and other provisions of such Act or other such law as may be enacted in substitution therefor, subject to the modification effected under the provisions of this Chapter and this Constitution.