I&B Ministry
Maharashtra CM supports film industry’s demand for 18% GST
NEW DELHI: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has assured the film industry that he will support the demand to lower the GST rate to 18% in the forthcoming GST Council meeting. At the same time, the state government also agreed to rationalise any additional entertainment tax likely to be imposed by the local bodies in the GST regime.
Fadnavis was speaking during the consultation meeting held by the information and broadcasting ministry chaired by minister M Venkaiah Naidu with the film industry earlier this week in Mumbai.
Fadnavis announced that the present licensing regime in the state will be removed and the model law for cinema licensing will be introduced within 60 days. He was referring to points made on Cinema licensing for new screens as well as modification of existing screens. He announced that the Single Window facilitation cell has been formed in the state for shooting of films, Television programmes and other audio-visual mediums.
The meeting was held at the instance of the Film and Television Producers Guild of India to raise industry’s concerns on the adverse impact of the proposed GST rate of 28%. The industry representatives deliberated on various challenges and opportunities for the film industry including recommendations of the Shyam Benegal Committee for changes in the film certification process, taxation, scarcity of Cinema Screens and Piracy.
On the issue of piracy, both the central and state governments completely endorsed the industry’s views on an immediate need to amend existing laws such as Information Technology, Cinematograph, and Copyright Acts to protect the legitimate rights of copyright owners.
The film industry complimented the chief minister on the formation of Maharashtra Intellectual Property Crime Unit (‘MIPCU’) as an initiative to enforce strong anti-piracy measures.
Guild President Siddharth Roy Kapur said: “A rate of 18% GST or lower on cinema tickets would be in line with global taxation norms for the film sector and would go a long way in ensuring the long-term health of the industry. The film industry is identified as a priority sector in many countries around the world and therefore not only are the tax rates on films usually lower than the national average, but in many countries the industry is also provided numerous incentives to drive growth and employment in the sector. I do hope our Central and State governments will look at the Indian film industry through a similar lens in the future.”
He added: “I am delighted by the response from both the Maharashtra State and the Central Government in the meeting, with both the Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra strongly supporting and endorsing our suggestions on various matters of concern, from GST to piracy to screen density. We are hopeful that their actions in the future will provide the much-needed impetus the Indian film industry needs, to realize its vast untapped potential.”
I&B Ministry
Government sets up AI governance group to steer policy
AIGEG to align ministries, assess jobs impact, guide AI deployment.
MUMBAI: If artificial intelligence is the engine, the government is now building the dashboard and making sure everyone reads from the same screen. The Centre has constituted a new inter-ministerial body to coordinate India’s approach to AI, formalising a key recommendation from its governance framework and the Economic Survey. The AI Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG), set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, will act as the central platform to align AI-related policy across ministries, regulators and departments, an attempt to bring coherence to what has so far been a fragmented and fast-evolving landscape.
The group will be chaired by union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, with minister of state Jitin Prasada as vice chairperson. Its composition reflects both technological and economic priorities, bringing together the principal scientific adviser, the chief economic adviser, and the CEO of NITI Aayog, alongside key secretaries from telecommunications, economic affairs and science and technology. A representative from the National Security Council Secretariat is also part of the group, while the MeitY secretary will serve as member convenor.
At its core, AIGEG is designed to do two things: coordinate and anticipate. On the policy front, it will review existing regulatory mechanisms, issue guidance across sectors and ensure companies remain compliant with evolving legal frameworks. Beyond that, it will oversee national initiatives on AI governance, with a focus on enabling responsible innovation rather than merely regulating it.
The economic dimension is equally central. The group has been tasked with assessing how AI-driven automation could reshape jobs identifying which roles are most at risk, where those impacts may be geographically concentrated, and whether technology will augment or replace human labour. Based on these assessments, it will develop mitigation strategies and transition plans, signalling a more proactive stance on workforce disruption.
In parallel, AIGEG will work with industry stakeholders to chart a long-term roadmap for AI adoption, categorising use cases into “deploy”, “pilot” or “defer” buckets depending on readiness factors such as data availability, skill levels and regulatory clarity. The aim is to move from broad ambition to structured execution deciding not just what can be built, but what should be built now.
The group will function as the apex layer in India’s AI governance architecture, supported by a Technology and Policy Expert Committee that will track global developments, emerging risks and regulatory priorities. Together, the two bodies are expected to shape both the pace and direction of AI adoption in the country.
In a landscape where technology often outruns policy, the creation of AIGEG signals an attempt to close that gap ensuring that India’s AI journey is not just rapid, but also coordinated, accountable and economically grounded.
