Industry bodies cannot become self-regulatory organisations to regulate online gaming: Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar

sportskeeda.com:

The Government of India proposed self-regulation for online gaming companies earlier this month; however, on Tuesday, January 17, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, told the press that "industry bodies cannot become self-regulatory organizations to regulate online gaming."

The remarks from the Union Minister came after an open house consultation with online gaming companies on the proposed rules. In addition to his comments, the minister also said the watchdog should not get influenced by industry bodies. He further suggested that SRO should comprise the "children, parents, players, the government, and gaming intermediaries."

Here's what the Union Minister said:

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Besides talking about the SRO, Rajeev Chandrasekhar also told reporters that he expects the new rules regarding online games, after an open house consultation with companies on proposed rules, to be notified by January 31, 2023.

Besides the notification of the new rules, MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) also extended the date for the "public comments on the proposed rules" to January 25 from January 17.

For the unversed, MeitY proposed draft amendments to IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 on January 2, 2023, after the Government of India made it the nodal ministry for businesses related to online games.

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At the end of December 2022, India's Union Government gave its IT ministry the authority over online games and related businesses. The sudden allocation was also accompanied by the recognition of esports as multi-sports events.

After the development, the Department of Sports of the YAS Ministry (Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports)