I&B Ministry
Shyam Benegal favours dedicated science & tech TV channel to promote scientific temper
NEW DELHI: Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal has stressed the need for a 24-hour dedicated science & technology television channel to promote scientific temper in the country.
Addressing a press conference about the upcoming National Science Film Festival at the Nehru Science Centre in Mumbai, Benegal said, “A dedicated TV channel will go a long way in helping spread scientific temper and rational thinking among the citizens.”
He said such a channel is the need of the hour to highlight issues on science, technology, environment, health and hygiene among other things.
“A 24 hour S&T TV channel will be a fitting tribute to late Narendra Dabhgolkar who laid down his life in the pursuit of spreading scientific temper and creating a rational society,” Benegal added.
Benegal complimented the Nehru Science Centre and Vigyan Prasar, an autonomous body under the Science and Technology Ministry for joining hands to organise the 6th National Science Film Festival in Mumbai from 9 to 13 February.
He said 45 films have been shortlisted to be screened during the festival. “The jury was pleasantly surprised to see quality films that have been made by professionals and school students. Most of the films, some from remote areas of the country, touch upon the local issues of environment, livelihoods, health and local innovation,” he said.
The winning films will be honoured with the Silver Beaver Awards and cash prizes.
Benegal is the chairperson of the National Jury. The other members of the jury include senior writer and art director Shama Zaidi; film editor Aseem Sinha; Prof. Iftekhar Ahmad, who is the director of AJK MCRC, New Delhi; Prasar Bharati Additional Director General Aparna Vaish; Dr Sabyasachi Bhattacharya who is a professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research; film historian and curator Amrit Gangar; filmmaker Aruna Raje Patil, filmmaker and environmentalist Anil P. Joshi.
Professional workshops on science film making will also be organised during NSFF 2016 in which renowned science film makers will share their experience with the participants. Film enthusiast can participate in the workshop by filling up an online application form at www.vigyanprasar.gov.in.
I&B Ministry
Government sets up AI governance group to steer policy
AIGEG to align ministries, assess jobs impact, guide AI deployment.
MUMBAI: If artificial intelligence is the engine, the government is now building the dashboard and making sure everyone reads from the same screen. The Centre has constituted a new inter-ministerial body to coordinate India’s approach to AI, formalising a key recommendation from its governance framework and the Economic Survey. The AI Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG), set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, will act as the central platform to align AI-related policy across ministries, regulators and departments, an attempt to bring coherence to what has so far been a fragmented and fast-evolving landscape.
The group will be chaired by union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, with minister of state Jitin Prasada as vice chairperson. Its composition reflects both technological and economic priorities, bringing together the principal scientific adviser, the chief economic adviser, and the CEO of NITI Aayog, alongside key secretaries from telecommunications, economic affairs and science and technology. A representative from the National Security Council Secretariat is also part of the group, while the MeitY secretary will serve as member convenor.
At its core, AIGEG is designed to do two things: coordinate and anticipate. On the policy front, it will review existing regulatory mechanisms, issue guidance across sectors and ensure companies remain compliant with evolving legal frameworks. Beyond that, it will oversee national initiatives on AI governance, with a focus on enabling responsible innovation rather than merely regulating it.
The economic dimension is equally central. The group has been tasked with assessing how AI-driven automation could reshape jobs identifying which roles are most at risk, where those impacts may be geographically concentrated, and whether technology will augment or replace human labour. Based on these assessments, it will develop mitigation strategies and transition plans, signalling a more proactive stance on workforce disruption.
In parallel, AIGEG will work with industry stakeholders to chart a long-term roadmap for AI adoption, categorising use cases into “deploy”, “pilot” or “defer” buckets depending on readiness factors such as data availability, skill levels and regulatory clarity. The aim is to move from broad ambition to structured execution deciding not just what can be built, but what should be built now.
The group will function as the apex layer in India’s AI governance architecture, supported by a Technology and Policy Expert Committee that will track global developments, emerging risks and regulatory priorities. Together, the two bodies are expected to shape both the pace and direction of AI adoption in the country.
In a landscape where technology often outruns policy, the creation of AIGEG signals an attempt to close that gap ensuring that India’s AI journey is not just rapid, but also coordinated, accountable and economically grounded.
