The days of liquor firms getting away with ad clips showing mineral water bottles could end soon. The Government may clamp down on television channels beaming surrogate advertisements of liquor and tobacco brands soon. The Government is almost ready with a code banning surrogate advertising for broadcasters. The code, which is being formulated by senior government officials, will specify the definition of surrogate ads, details of compliance norms and penalties for violators.

Earlier, in 2000, a group of broadcasters had submitted their recommendations on surrogate ads to the Information and Broadcasting ministry, but the government did not act on the same. As per the recommendation, advertising for a product from the stable of liquor/tobacco companies, which do not have a minimum turnover of Rs. 1 crore and where the products are not manufactured in bulk quantity, would fall under the surrogate advertising net.

While liquor and tobacco advertising is completely banned under the Cable Act, surrogate advertising is a convenient way to push their brands. Significantly, broadcasters had also submitted a proposal to the Government to allow them to use socially responsible ads sponsored by liquor companies. But the Government has often been criticised for being lenient with manufacturers and broadcasters, as it gets massive tax revenues from tobacco and liquor sale. Will the liquor lobby succeed again?

Punjab supercop K. P. S. Gill has managed to nearly end the communal frenzy in Gujarat. So much so that the Governor felt emboldened to announce that normalcy had returned to the State and that elections could be held for the Assembly soon. But the sudden eruption of violence and deaths have put a question mark on whether things are really normal. It is no secret that a section of BJP politicians are not happy with Gill’s posting in Gujarat and are out to defame him. So even when the minorities are gathering courage to go back to their homes and venture out for business dealings, fresh incidents of stabbing, arson and stone-throwing have caused tension. There are two theories--one is that it is a deliberate attempt to embarrass Gill or that the rivals of Chief Minister Narendra Modi are plotting to put him in the dock again by engineering clashes. Whatever be the reason, Gill’s task is not yet over and he cannot afford to relax.

As part of its sequenced response to Pakistan’s assurance of taking a permanent action to check infiltration, India is considering sending a new high commissioner to Islamabad. Senior IFS officer Harsh Bhasin is New Delhi’s choice to take up the new assignment in Islamabad. India, however, has held back the announcement about the appointment of the high commissioner.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah resigned as President of the National Conference. His son, Omar Abdullah, will take over the reins of the party.

Omar, the Minister of State for External Affairs, is expected to be made the National Conference President. According to an NC spokesman, a meeting of party delegates will be held, which will be the first after 15 years. The last meeting was held in 1987.

Omar had stated early this month that he would be devoting more time to J&K affairs.

Suddenly, Bollywood is showing interest in making films on real-life personalities. While RJD leader Laloo Prasad Yadav has been the favourite of actors like Paresh Rawal, now there are plans to make a film on the life and times of Indira Gandhi. And guess who wants to play the role? None other than the consummate actress, Tabu. One can recall the storm that was raised over Aandhi, a film by Gulzar, many years back, in which actress Suchitra Sen adopted the mannerisms of Indira Gandhi , right down to the printed cotton saris, much to the annoyance of the Gandhi household. The recent flurry of movies on Bhagat Singh too have been disliked by the relatives of the patriot, who are annoyed at the liberties taken by the film directors. Undeterred by the risks involved in such a venture, a former Congress Member of Parliament from Aurangabad, Uttam Singh Pawar, is all set to bankroll a mega budget feature film on Indira Gandhi. Prolific filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar is likely to direct the film.

Hindi litterateur and veteran media personality Kamleshwar might do the script according to reports. The cost of production could be in the range of Rs. 35 crore. Pawar has set a time-frame of three to four years for the completion of the project. "To ensure complete authenticity, we will be consulting personalities like Mrs Sonia Gandhi and others who had a personal rapport with Indiraji," he says. Why has Tabu been singled out to play Indira Gandhi? "We were looking for a new face, but Pawar and I opted for Tabu as she, given her track record as a sensitive actress, is best suited to play the lead role," points out Kamleshwar.