News Broadcasting
DD, AIR to get new director generals
NEW DELHI: Indian pubcaster Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR) may soon get full-fledged director-generals (DG), if everything goes well with the selection process which is currently underway.
The board of Prasar Bharati, which looks after the functioning of DD and AIR, is slated to deliberate on the candidates who were interviewed on 16 and 17 December.
Though full details are not forthcoming, Prasar Bharati sources said that about 21 candidates appeared yesterday for the DG’s post before the interview panel that included some board members, Prasar Bharati CEO K.S. Sarma and additional secretary in the I&B ministry, Vijay Singh.
A similar panel met up with over 15 candidates desirous of taking over as the DG of AIR. “The full board, which also happens to be the selection panel, would discuss the likely shortlisted candidates,” a source said.
Interestingly, the post of DG of DD, arguably India’s biggest broadcaster with infrastructure in remote places, but under-utilised, is open to only serving bureaucrats of joint secretary and above levels (which means that the selected candidate would be on deputation to Prasar Bharati). Although the No. 1 post in AIR had been thrown open to people from the corporate world too.
Both DD and AIR have not had full-fledged DGs for almost a decade as the responsibilities were handed on an ad hoc basis to ministerial people. For a large part of last and this year, Sarma doubled up as the DG of AIR. The last full-fledged DG that DD got was S.Y. Quraishi, who was there for about an year before being shunted out some months back, after reportedly, falling out with the present I&B minister Ravi Shankar Prasad over the issue of re-launch of the DD News channel.
Meanwhile, the Prasar Bharati board that will meet tomorrow (18 December) would also discuss DD News, apart from other items on the agenda.
With DD News (that has managed to capture the overall eyeballs since launch on 3 November) Prasar Bharati feels that the news channel should not only keep up the tempo, but also strive for betterment.
According to TAM data, DD News has been fairing well, lying just behind Aaj Tak in market shares even in cable and satellite homes. DD News is a channel that is distributed terrestrially and via satellite and has the advantage of a government diktat to cable operators that it has to be shown on prime band.
Prasar Bharati is also contemplating unleashing a media campaign regarding DD News for print and outdoor medium. Ad agency, JWT India, has been mandated to come up with the creatives and, according to sources, some work of the agency is being reviewed by Prasar Bharati officials for a final okay.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
