A Parliamentary panel, examining the issue of paid news, has received a suggestion to set up watchdog bodies in districts across the country to monitor the media coverage of elections and report instances of paid news to the Election Commission.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology, which met under the chairmanship of senior Congress leader and Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh on Monday, has put out advertisements inviting suggestions from individuals and organisations to tackle paid news.

Senior Information & Broadcasting Ministry officials briefed the committee on various aspects of the paid news phenomenon. The committee is likely to summon EC officials to have an idea of the effectiveness of the suggested mechanism.

There is also a suggestion to provide more teeth to the Press Council of India (PCI) by amending the 1978 Act. The PCI, in its July 30 report, had suggested that the 1978 Act be amended to make its recommendations binding and enable it to adjudicate complaints regarding paid news.

There is a suggestion for an amendment of the Representation of the People’s Act to make the incidence of paid news a punishable electoral malpractice.