The proposal was delivered to the streaming platforms at a June 20 meeting at the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
The government highlighted the need for a "more proactive approach" to ensure that streaming content, "including international content", aligns with a so-called code of ethics, the minutes showed.
That code already mandates providers to exercise caution on content that could incite violence or be sensitive for religious reasons.
The proposal also comes as streaming giants protest a government order to add 50-second tobacco health warnings in each piece of content, and two years after India ordered the setting up self-regulatory bodies for complaints about streaming content.
Suhasini Maniratnam of the Digital Publisher Content Grievance Council, told the gathering pre-censorship could hurt the industry growth and cost jobs, and that given the high volume of content "there is a need to specifically act" against obscene and vulgar content.
Persons:
OTT, Anurag Thakur, Thakur, Suhasini, Aditya Kalra, Robert Birsel
Organizations:
Netflix, Disney, Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Reuters, Media Partners, Amazon, Apple, Industry, Broadcasting, Thomson
Locations:
India, DELHI, New Delhi, Bengaluru