I&B Ministry
Media can transform rural poor’s life by providing info on central scheme: Rathore
NEW DELHI: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore has said that media can transform the lives of the people living in rural areas by providing information about welfare schemes.
He said that the emergence of internet and social media has brought about an information revolution in the country. He underlined that there is need to build capacities of rural journalists for establishing better reach to the people in rural areas.
He stated this in a message read out at the opening of a one-day Regional Media Conference organized by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on strengthening information dissemination on Government policies and programmes in rural areas at Jobner near Jaipur this week.
About 70 regional journalists including stringers of newspapers and news channels participated in the one-day conference.
One of the major objectives of the conference was receiving feedback from journalists working in rural areas on their information needs. During the interactive sessions, the participants wanted more interactions of this kind in the future and wanted a mechanism for enhanced information flow from PIB on central government schemes to rural journalists.
In his keynote address, senior journalist Yashwant Vyas said that rural journalists have a major role in highlighting issues of local importance on which they should report fearlessly. Senior journalists Rajendra Boda, Pratap Rao, Ashok Chaturvedi and Shakti Singh addressed journalists on issues including role of different media in effective information flow in rural areas. A session on the role of media in disaster management was conducted by Bijendra Singh, who is officer on Special Duty of the State Disaster Management Department of Rajasthan.
The participants were also given orientation on the role of new/social media in information dissemination.
I&B Ministry
CBFC speeds up film certification; average approval time cut to 22 days
Over 71,900 films cleared in five years as digital system shortens approval timelines
MUMBAI:Â The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has significantly reduced the time taken to certify films, with the average approval timeline now down to 22 working days for feature films and just three days for short films.
Operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the statutory body certifies films for public exhibition in line with the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024. The rules prescribe a maximum certification period of 48 working days, though the adoption of the Online Certification System has sharply accelerated the process.
Over the past five years, from 2020-21 to 2024-25, the board certified a total of 71,963 films across formats. Of these, the majority fell under the U category with 41,817 titles, followed by UA with 28,268 films and A with 1,878 films. No films were certified under the S category during the period.
Film approvals have also steadily risen in recent years. The CBFC cleared 8,299 films in 2020-21, a figure that peaked at 18,070 in 2022-23 before settling at 15,444 films in 2024-25. During the same period, 11,064 films were certified with cuts or modifications.
Despite the high volume of certifications, outright refusals remain rare. Only three films were denied certification over the last five years, with one refusal recorded in 2022-23 and two in 2024-25.
The board may recommend cuts or modifications if a film violates statutory parameters relating to the sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality, defamation, contempt of court or incitement to an offence.
Filmmakers can challenge CBFC decisions in court. Data shows that such disputes remain limited but have seen some fluctuation. Between 2021 and 2025, a total of 21 certification decisions were challenged before High Courts, with the number rising to 10 cases in 2025.
Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, minister of state for information and broadcasting L. Murugan shared the data. The question was raised by Mallikarjun Kharge.
With faster timelines and a largely digital workflow, the certification process appears to be moving at a far brisker pace, signalling a shift towards quicker clearances for India’s growing film output.
