I&B Ministry
India to digitise all services, says I&B MoS Rathore
NEW DELHI: Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore has said that the government is making all efforts to digitalise the whole spectrum of services available to the citizens. He said that convergence of array of services to empower citizens through mobile technology was already happening.
Speaking after giving away the awards at the conclusion of the 47th International Film Festival of India in Panaji in Goa yesterday evening, Rathore said the Film Facilitation Office (FFO) set up by the government was a step towards facilitating single window clearance for filmmakers, promote India as a filming destination and provide the platform for film tourism in the country.
He said films were not only a means for entertainment but a powerful art form which heralded social change. He added that it was a testament to the power of fluency and persuasion that cinema was the only art form that is deemed fit to be regulated by an Act of Parliament.
The role of Cinema to bridge cultures was experienced in IFFI with the partnership between India and the focus country for the year 2016 – South Korea — through films which acted as gateway for further cultural exchanges.
Rathore said multiplexes had revolutionised the film-viewing experience with the top films grossing box office returns due to the multiplex boom. A paradigm shift in technology also enabled the mobile viewing boom in the country. This enabled individuals to shoot films based on one’s taste and perception of the given environment. This acted as a big fillip to young filmmakers and it was evident from the record number of entries at the Swachh Bharat Film Festival organised by the ministry.
(Speaking at another event earlier in the day, Rathore said IFFI provided a unique platform for experts from across the globe to share their behind the screen experiences and stories. The effort was to provide a rich experience for all the delegates and film fraternity.
Rathore said Films were an effective tool as a medium of communication and appreciated the efforts of NFAI in depicting the struggle of freedom fighters through this exhibition on cinema. Linking the issue of films with the demonetisation scheme of the Government, Rathore said this initiative of the Government would bring transparency in the film industry and would curb the use of black money.)
Iranian film “Daughter” bagged the Golden Peacock for best feature film at the Festival with a certificate and a cash prize amount of Rs Four million, shared between the Director and the Producer equally. Iranian actor Farhad Aslani won the ‘Best Actor’ award for his portrayal of the strict father in the same film, picking up the Silver Peacock and Rs 1 million in cash prize. The film had also won the best film award in the Moscow International Film Festival earlier this year.
The awards were given away by Rathore in the presence of the Goa governor Mridula Sinha, the chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar and the chief guest S S Rajamouli.
The ‘Best Director’ award was given to Baris Kaya for the film “Rauf”, who bagged the Silver Peacock Trophy and cash prize of Rs 1.5 million. Elina Vaska won the Best Actress Award for the film “Fellow Mud”, getting the Silver Peacock Trophy and cash Prize of Rs One million. The Special Jury award was given to Lee Joon-ik for the Direction of the movie “The Throne” with the Silver Peacock Award and a cash prize of Rs 1.5 million.
The ICFT –UNESCO Gandhi Medal was awarded to Turkish film maker Mustafa Kara’s ‘Cold of Kalandar’. This award, instituted by the International Council for Film & Television, Paris, and UNESCO is given to a film that portrays the Gandhian values of peace and harmony. ‘Cold of Kalandar’, set in a mountain village in the Black Sea region is also Turkey’s official entry for ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ category of Oscar Awards.
The Canadian multi-lingual entry ‘The Apology’ by Toronto based Tiffany Hsiung won the Special Mention under the ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal competition. In all seven films, including an Indian film ‘Allama’ by T S Nagabharana, were in the fray for this award.
Earlier, Parsekar said that collaboration between the central and state governments and the film industry made this edition of IFFI a great success which not only promoted Indian Film Industry but also promoted Goa as a creative hub.
Rajamouli said the biggest beneficiaries of such film festivals are young filmmakers who gets a platform to see the best of films across the globe and learn from the vision of reputed film makers around the World.
I and B additional secretary Jayashree Mukherjee said IFFI besides showcasing films also provided a large number of avenues for learning in form of workshops and master classes.
The closing ceremony witnessed glitz and glamour through the scintillating musical performances representing a rich musical culture of India composed by Sachin Jigar.
I&B Ministry
India turns up the heat on piracy, orders Telegram to axe 3,142 channels and blocks 800 websites
New legal teeth, nodal officers and notices to intermediaries signal that the government is done playing nice with copyright thieves
NEW DELHI: India’s war on film piracy just got significantly more aggressive. The government has ordered Telegram to remove 3,142 channels distributing pirated content, blocked access to around 800 websites through internet service providers, and put the full weight of freshly sharpened legislation behind the crackdown. The message from New Delhi is unambiguous: the free ride for copyright thieves is over.
Minister of state for information and broadcasting L. Murugan spelled out the legal architecture to the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023, he said, now contains specific provisions designed to make piracy a genuinely painful proposition. Sections 6AA and 6AB prohibit unauthorised recording and transmission of films, with violations attracting a minimum of three months’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 3 lakh. At the upper end, offenders face three years behind bars and fines of up to 5 per cent of a film’s audited gross production cost — a figure that, for a big-budget production, could run into crores.
The legislation also gives the government powers to act against intermediaries hosting infringing content, by notifying them under Section 79(3) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and compelling takedowns and blocking actions. Under Section 79(3)(b), intermediaries are legally required to remove or disable access to unlawful content upon receiving government notice or court orders. The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, add a further layer of obligation, requiring platforms to ensure their services are not used to host or distribute content that violates copyright or proprietary rights.
To put enforcement into practice, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has established a dedicated institutional mechanism, complete with nodal officers to receive complaints. Copyright holders, authorised representatives or individuals can report piracy through a prescribed format, after which the government issues notices to intermediaries to disable access to infringing links.
The most headline-grabbing action came on 11 March 2026, when Telegram was formally notified under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act and directed to remove and disable 3,142 channels found to be distributing unauthorised content belonging to OTT platforms, content owners and producers. The complaints that triggered the action came from OTT platforms including JioCinema and Amazon Prime Video, which alleged that copyrighted films, web series and other material were being shared on the platform on a massive scale. Telegram’s architecture, with its large file-sharing limits and capacity for user anonymity, has made it a favoured vehicle for exactly this kind of large-scale piracy.
The Telegram action sits within a broader pattern of escalating enforcement. Just days before the Lok Sabha statement, the ministry banned five OTT platforms for streaming obscene content: MoodXVIP, Koyal Playpro, Digi Movieplex, Feel and Jugnu. In July 2025, the Centre ordered the blocking of 25 OTT platforms accused of streaming obscene, vulgar or pornographic material, a list that included ALTT, ULLU, Big Shots App, Desiflix, Boomex, Navarasa Lite, Gulab App, Kangan App, Bull App, Jalva App, ShowHit, Wow Entertainment, Look Entertainment, Hitprime, Feneo, ShowX, Sol Talkies, Adda TV, HotX VIP, Hulchul App, MoodX, NeonX VIP, Fugi, Mojflix and Triflicks.
Rule 3(1)(b) of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, provides the regulatory hook for those actions, prohibiting platforms from hosting content that is obscene, pornographic, invasive of privacy, gender-harassing, racially or ethnically objectionable, or that promotes hatred and violence.
For an industry that loses billions of rupees annually to piracy, the direction of travel is welcome. The question, as always, is not whether the laws exist, but whether the enforcement machinery can keep pace with the ingenuity of those determined to circumvent it. Three thousand channels down, and the pirates are already busy opening three thousand more.
