News Broadcasting
FDI guidelines in news, current affairs publications issued
NEW DELHI: The government has issued guidelines for permitting 26 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in news and current affairs publications in a venture subject to the condition that the largest Indian shareholder controls at least 51 per cent equity in the company.
This 51 per cent equity is exclusive of that held by public sector banks and financial institutions and of the total FDI envisaged in any joint venture at least 50 per cent will have to be inducted by issue of fresh equity, an official statement said here. The balance 50 per cent can be from the existing equity base of the company.
Foreign holding component in the equity of the Indian shareholder companies will be duly reckoned on pro rata basis to arrive at the total foreign holding in the company while calculating the 26 per cent FDI in equity of the company. The guidelines further stipulate that at least 75 per cent of the directors and all key executives and editorial members of the company should be resident Indians.
According to the guidelines, it is obligatory on the part of the Indian company to take prior permission from the ministry of information and broadcasting before changing the foreign shareholding pattern of the company and the shareholding of the largest Indian shareholder.
While rejecting the idea of a golden share, the government has said that the applicant and the new entity has to make full disclosure, at the time of application, of shareholders agreements and loan agreement that are finalised or proposed to be entered into. Any changes in these have to be disclosed to the ministry of information and broadcasting within 15 days.
The new entity framing its articles and memorandum of association has to ensure compliance with these norms. Besides as a measure to check the credentials of the foreign equity partner, the Indian company is required to inform the names and details of all the non resident Indians who are to be inducted in the boars of directors of the company
The Indian company is also required to inform the names and details of any foreign nationals and non resident Indians to be employed and engaged in the company as consultants or in any other capacity for more than 60 days in a year as regular employees.
All the proposals for FDI in Indian companies publishing news and current affairs publications shall be processed and decided by the information and broadcasting ministry in consultation with the home ministry and other ministries.
News Broadcasting
India Today Group sweeps top honours at Ramnath Goenka Awards
Journalists recognised for fearless investigative and civic reporting.
MUMBAI: India Today Group just turned the Ramnath Goenka Awards into its own trophy cabinet because when your reporters dig this deep, even the judges have to award a clean sweep. India Today Group journalists have secured multiple top honours at the latest edition of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, reinforcing the network’s legacy as the gold standard of Indian journalism. The awards were conferred by vice president C. P. Radhakrishnan at a ceremony held on 27 March 2026.
Sreya Chatterjee won in the ‘Investigative Reporting – Broadcast’ category for her powerful India Today TV report ‘Operation Illegals: The Alarming Rise in Bangladeshi Infiltration Across India’s Fragile Eastern Frontier’. The investigation stood out for its depth, on-ground rigour and national relevance.
In the ‘Civic Journalism – Print/Digital’ category, Sreya Chatterjee along with Arvind Ojha were honoured for their indiatoday.in report on unregulated water extraction and the ‘Tanker Mafia’ in Delhi’s Bawana Industrial Area. The story exposed critical systemic gaps and environmental challenges affecting daily life.
Additionally, aajtak.in was recognised in the ‘Investigative Reporting – Print/Digital’ category for its hard-hitting exposé ‘The Surrogate Mother Market’, which highlighted the human, legal and ethical dimensions of the surrogacy ecosystem.
India Today Group emerged as the only network honoured in Investigative Journalism across both Print/Digital and Broadcast categories. The wins reflect the strength of its multi-platform newsroom and its unwavering commitment to credible, high-impact reporting that informs public discourse and drives accountability.
In an era when speed often trumps substance, these awards remind us that the most powerful stories are still the ones dug out with courage, told with clarity, and delivered with conscience, one fearless byline at a time.
