The Communist Party of India (Marxist) today opposed the Government’s notification by which all digital/online media platforms and online content providers have been brought within the ambit of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
These were under the Ministry of Information and Electronic Technology earlier, and subject to various provisions under the IT Act to deal with digital platforms and intermediaries, the party said.
“This notification is a clear expression of intent that the Central Government is now moving to regulate digital media content. Having muzzled the print and electronic/visual media to a considerable extent, it is moving to control digital media,” the party said.
“The CPI (M) is opposed to control of the digital media by a government department. The CPI (M) believes that the existing laws and IT Act are adequate for the purpose of a healthy digital media,” the party stated.
‘Continuous contraction of GDP destroying lives’
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) today said the Reserve Bank of India has officially confirmed the severe slowdown of the Indian economy and observed “India has entered a technical recession in the first half of 2020-21 for the first time in its history.”
After the GDP plummeted by 23.9 per cent in the April-June quarter, it has further fallen by 8.6 per cent on top of this, in the quarter ended September, 2020, the party said.
“This continuous contraction of the GDP is destroying lives, livelihoods, pushing crores of our people into poverty, hunger and deprivation.It is no longer a crisis of livelihood: it is a crisis of survival,” the CPI (M) commented.
“This colossal destruction of the Indian economy by the Modi government’s policies can only be checked by substantially hiking public investments to build our much-needed infrastructure, generating a large number of jobs, leading to boosting domestic demand,” the party said.