I&B Ministry
MIB gives permission to two new channels – Khalsa and Nireekshana TV
MUMBAI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) after being lenient for couple of months in awarding channel licenses, is back to being strict. In the month of October, two new channels received licenses while none saw their licenses cancelled as on 31 October 2018.
The two channels are Khalsa channel and Nireekshana TV. Nexgen Telelinks got the permission for uplinking and downlinking Khalsa channel (non-news) in Hindi and all Indian scheduled languages on 9 October 2018. Shopping Zone India TV got the permission for uplinking and downlinking Nireekshana TV (non-news) in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and scheduled Indian languages on 18 October 2018.
On the other hand, Jain TV, PBN (earlier Samachar 24X7) and Dheeran TV channels, which were present in the list of permitted private satellite TV channels in the list up to 30 September 2018, were not in the new list till 31 October 2018.
The 14 licenses which were cancelled earlier by MIB due to security denial by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) are still now under stay order from the court.
After cancelling permission to 252 channels, the number of private satellite TV channels having valid permission in India stands at 866 as on 31 October 2018. 483 channels are non-news channels and the remaining 383 are news channels.
Of the 868 permitted private satellite channels, TV channels permitted for uplinking from India and also to downlink into India are 766 among which 362 are news channels and 404 are non-news channels. 11 non-news channels and five news channels are permitted for uplinking from India but not downlink into the country. 84 TV channels are uplinked from abroad which only have downlinking permission in India. This category includes 15 news and 69 non-news channels.
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.
