New Delhi: Simultaneous Multi Round Ascending (SMRA) e-auction for private FM Radio on Electronic Auctions System (EAS) ensured transparency and facilitated in discovering the true market price of FM Radio waves, a natural resource.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said no specific funds have been provided for the purpose of using state of art technology.

Rathore was answering a question in Parliament about use of modern technology by his Ministry.

Referring to committees set up by his Ministry, he said an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) had been constituted to take cognizance suo moto or to look into specific complaints regarding content on private TV channels on any platform including DTH and FM Radio with regard to violation of the Programme and Advertising Code as defined in Rules 6 and 7 of the Cable Television Network Rules 1994 for TV channels and applicable Content Code for Radio.

This Committee had members from the I&B, Home Affairs, Law & Justice, Women & Child Development, Health & Family Welfare, External Affairs, Defence, Consumer Affairs, and Food and Public Distribution Ministries apart from a representative of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).

For examination of applications for grant of permission for setting up of Community Radio Station (CRS) and financial assistance under Plan Scheme following two committees had been constituted.

The first was an lnter-Ministerial Committee consisting of Secretary (I&B) as its Chairman and members from various Ministries - five members from I&B, and one member each from Ministries of Communications and Information Technology, Home Affairs, Human Resource Development, Defence and Finance.

The other was a Screening Committee consisting of Joint Secretary (I&B) as its chairperson, and ten members representing various stakeholders in the field of CRS.