Parliamentary panel suggests to have one-third women members in CBFC

A parliamentary panel has made a strong recommendation for making it obligatory to have one-third women members in the 12-member Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the advisory panels.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, in its report on the Review of the Functioning of CBFC, also suggested having members of the general public to make the Board more inclusive.

The committee, in its report, noted that the functioning of the board has not witnessed any problem with regard to their numerical strength and there has been sufficient representation of women in the board.

"Nevertheless, the committee feels that it should be made obligatory to have one-third members as women in the CBFC and advisory panel," it said.

The report noted that the CBFC has been functioning with a 12-member board and 963 advisory panel members across various offices over the past few years.

The committee also felt that in addition to the eminent personalities in the CBFC, having some representation from the general public at large would provide an inclusive face to the composition of the board.