I&B Ministry
2014-15: MIB earns Rs 836.52 crore from DTH; revenue from FM drops to Rs 80.3 crore
MUMBAI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) earned revenue of Rs 836.52 crore from the direct-to-home (DTH) sector for the year 2014-15. This was a considerable increase from the Rs 395.43 crore that the MIB earned from the sector in the previous year (2013-14). For the year 2012-13, the revenue from the sector stood at Rs 308.66 crore.
Apart from Doordarshan’s free-to- air DD Direct Plus, there are six private DTH players in India namely Dish TV, Tata Sky, Sun Direct TV, Reliance Big TV, Airtel Digital TV and Videocon d2h.
On the other hand, the revenue that the MIB earned from the auction of FM Radio dropped considerably in 2014-15 to Rs 80.30 crore from Rs 102.21 crore in 2013-14. In 2012-13, the revenue from the sector stood at Rs 61.27 crore.
The FM Phase-I Policy, which was approved by the Government in July, 1999, met with the limited success and saw a total number of 21 channels are operational in 12 cities under this scheme.
On the other hand, the improved FM Phase-II Policy was notified in July, 2005 after considering the recommendations of Dr.Amit Mitra Committee and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). FM Policy Phase-II has been well received by all stake holders. It has resulted in huge growth in FM radio industry. However, many cities still remained uncovered by the private FM radio broadcasting.
With the huge success of Phase II, FM Phase III Policy extended FM radio services to about 227 new cities, in addition to the present 86 cities, with a total of 839 new FM radio channels in 294 cities, Phase-III policy will result in coverage of all cities with a population of one lakh and above with private FM radio channels. The government has earned revenue by auction of FM channels to the private service providers.
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.
