Government will take Tough actions on Vulgarity on OTT, warn Anurag Thakur

New Delhi (India), 20th March 2023: Anurag Thakur, minister of information and broadcasting, took a tough stance on complaints about material on OTT platforms on Sunday, saying that profanity and abusive language were not acceptable in the name of creativity.

Speaking at a press conference, Thakur stated that the government had taken complaints of profanity and abusive language in content on OTT platforms seriously and would not think twice about taking decisive action to reverse this trend.

Anurag Thakur said, “When someone crosses the line, then hurling insults in the name of creativity cannot be accepted at all. These platforms were granted freedom for creativity, not for obscenity. ”

On taking strict actions and amending regulations, Thakur said, “The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will not hesitate to modify the regulations if necessary. To put an end to vulgarity and abusive words, drastic measures must be taken.”

The minister further commented on the procedure to file complaints and that there is a three-stage process for handling material on OTT platforms, “According to the present process, producers must address content complaints before contacting their association. If a complaint is received by the government’s I&B agency, strict compliance with the law is required.”