Parliament proceedings were adjourned for the day on Monday following protests by the opposition which has been demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the House on the Manipur issue. In the Rajya Sabha, the opposition kept insisting on a discussion under Rule 267 of the House.
When Lok Sabha met at 2 pm, it passed the Cinematograph Amendment Bill, 2023, to curb film piracy. The bill has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha.
The bill has provisions for up to three-year jail term and a fine of up to five per cent of the production cost of a film for persons making its pirated copies.
The bill also has provisions to introduce three age-based certifications under the 'UA' category, namely 'UA 7+', 'UA 13+' and 'UA 16+', and to empower the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to sanction a film with a separate certificate for its exhibition on television or other media.
"The film industry is facing a loss of Rs 20,000 crore annually due to piracy. The bill has been brought to stop the loss which occurs due to piracy. The legislation also takes care of the long-standing demand of the film industry," Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said.
"Film piracy is like cancer and this bill will try to root it out," Thakur said.
He said the certificates issued by the CBFC which are now valid for only 10 years will be valid perpetually after the bill becomes the law.
The bill also has provisions to allow for a change of category of a film which has received either 'A' or 'S' certificate to be converted to 'UA' certification after making suitable alterations to allow it to be broadcasted on television.
In a bid to curb film piracy, the bill seeks to introduce new sections in the Cinematograph Act with provisions to prohibit unauthorised recording of films (section 6AA) and their exhibition (section 6AB).
The stringent new provision 6AA in the bill also prohibits recording of a film or any part thereof with the sole purpose of using the recording in the same device.
Thakur said the film industry has a soft power and the government will take steps to promote it further by providing all the required facilities.
Now Indian content is watched across the globe, from Russia, the US and China to the Middle East countries, he said.
Earlier, when the House met at 11 am, Speaker Om Birla announced that a parliamentary delegation from Malawi is visiting India and they are watching the proceedings of the House. He welcomed the foreign delegation and wished them a pleasant stay in the country.
As he completed his speech, the opposition members were on their feet demanding a statement from the prime minister on Manipur violence.
Soon they came to the well of the House showing placards and raising slogans against the government. The speaker initially ignored their protests and continued the Question Hour, which was the scheduled business.
Two questions related to the education and finance ministries were taken up for discussion amid sloganeering and protests.
As the protests continued, the speaker appealed to the opposition members to go back to their seats and take part in the proceedings. With the opposition MPs ignoring his pleas, the speaker adjourned the House till 2 pm after about 15 minutes of business.
The Manipur violence rocked proceedings in both Houses of Parliament ever since the Monsoon session began on July 20, with the opposition demanding a statement from Prime Minister Modi and a discussion on the situation in the northeastern state.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the government was ready for a debate on the Manipur issue.
The speaker had also said the opposition can't decide who would reply to the debate on behalf of the government.
The opposition subsequently moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government, apparently aiming to force the prime minister to speak on the Manipur violence in Parliament.
The Monsson session started a day after a video of two women being paraded naked by a mob on May 4 in a Manipur village went viral, triggering a nationwide outrage. The Manipur Police has arrested several accused who were seen in the video, officials said.
On July 27, the government decided to hand over the probe into the case of the naked parade of two women to the CBI and filed a petition in the Supreme Court saying the trial of the cases should be conducted outside the state.
In Rajya Sabha, as the House reassembled at 3.30 pm after witnessing four adjournments earlier, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said the government is ready for a discussion on the Manipur situation right now.
He asked the opposition members who were protesting in the House to return to their seats so that the discussion could be initiated.
However, the opposition members kept shouting over their demand for a discussion on the Manipur issue under Rule 267.
Dhankhar said, "We are not setting a good example for the nation. The entire nation is watching us. The government is ready for a discussion on Manipur."
Terming it as 'most unfortunate', the chairman said from July 20 (when the Monsoon session of Parliament started), the time of the House has not been utilised.
"People have to pay for this.... We are ridiculing ourselves, sending a very dangerous signal to the world outside," he said, adding that as the Upper House, the Rajya Sabha has to set an example for serving public interest.
Appealing to the agitating members to take their seats, Dhankhar said, "We are far from this at the moment."
However, the uproar continued and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said if the opposition is serious about the issues related to Manipur and does not want to do politics, then they should allow the discussion to start.
"We are ready for discussions right now. Our home minister was here for three days and our minister of state for home was there (in Manipur) for 23 days. It never happened during their (Congress-led UPA government's) tenure," he said.
However, the opposition members continued shouting, following which the chairman adjourned the House till Tuesday.
Earlier, when the House reassembled at 2 pm, Dhankhar said the government had agreed to a short-duration discussion on the Manipur issue under Rule 176 and called for it to be initiated.
When members from the opposition parties insisted on a discussion under Rule 267, he said, "Notices under Rule 267 have not been admitted by me. They have been declined by me."
As the uproar continued, the chairman first adjourned the House till 2.30 pm and then till 3.30 pm.
