Centre sets up committee for ‘transparent’ TRPs amid manipulation row

The information and broadcasting ministry has set up a four-member committee to make “recommendations for a robust, transparent and accountable ratings system (for television) in India”.

The committee consists of Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi V Vempatti, Dr Shailabh from IIT Kanpur, Rajkumar Upadhyay from C-DOT and professor Pulak Ghosh from the Centre for Public Policy. It has to submit its report in two months.

The decision comes a little over two weeks after the Parliamentary panel on Information Technology, chaired by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, took up the issue of Television Rating Points (TRPs). The panel had noted that TRPs can be “easily manipulated”, amid allegations of a scam involving certain news channels.