I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati revenues on the upswing: Economic Survey
NEW DELHI: Indian pubcaster Prasar Bharati arrested a trend of declining earnings in 2004-05 with national broadcaster Doordarshan earning its highest revenue (Rs. 6,700 million) since 2000-01, according to the Economic Survey today.
In the economic report card of the government, the government, while presenting a rosy picture of a buoyant economy, said the total expenditure of Prasar Bharati in 2004-05 rose to Rs.16, 920 million from Rs.16, 700 million in 2003-04.
The Economic Survey stated, With total receipts increasing from Rs.6740 million in 2003-04 to Rs.8310 million in 2004-05, there was an improvement of 8.8 percentage points in the ratio of total commercial receipts to total expenditure.
The Survey added that the declining trend in commercial receipts was reversed and Doordarshan earned the highest revenue since 2000-01 amounting to Rs.6700 million.
In the Budget for 2005-06, the government has provided a sum of Rs.12, 920 million to cover the resource gap of Prasar Bharati.
With the government tabling the economic report card a day ahead of the Union Budget on 28 February 2006 and painting a rosy picture, the 30-share Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Sensex closed firm at 10,282 with a gain of 81 points from its Friday’s close.
The capital markets responded positively on Monday to the reports of over eight per cent (8.1 pc) GDP growth rate expectations reported in the Economic Survey.
However, the Survey suggested that though the economy was on a roll, there were some warning signals too, which were the risk of hardening interest rates, higher inflation and fiscal deficit in the face of global oil crisis.
Without tackling the major problem of power, it would be difficult to move on to high 8-10 per cent growth, the report card of the government said.
A news agency reported that the voluminous document advocated unburdening the industry from high level of taxes and decorative exemptions that provided perverse incentives. It also favoured levying user charges and cutting unwanted subsidies.
Services sector growth continued to be broad based, according to the Economic Survey
Among the three sub-sectors of services, trade, hotels, transport and communication services continued to lead by growing at double-digit rates for the third successive year.
However, community, social and personal services, which include public administration and defence, reflecting the process of fiscal consolidation and increasing efficiency of fiscal expenditure management, experienced a growth deceleration of more than a percentage point.
Macroeconomic Overview
In a robust demonstration of its nascent strengths, the Indian economy, after growing at 8.5 per cent and 7.5 per cent in the two previous years, is projected to grow at 8.1 per cent in the current year 2005-06.
Growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at constant prices in excess of 8.0 per cent has been achieved by the economy in only five years of recorded history and two out of these five are in the last three years.
After dipping below 1.0 per cent in 2004-05, mostly on account of erratic rainfall, agricultural and allied sectors growth in 2005-06 is projected at 2.3 per cent.
With farm prospects good — India is still essentially an agrarian economy — some significant dimensions of the dynamic growth in recent years are a new industrial resurgence, a pick up in investment, modest inflation in spite of spiraling global crude prices, rapid growth in exports and imports with a widening of the current account deficit and laying of some institutional foundations for faster development of physical infrastructure.
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.
