I&B Ministry
Actors Kajol & Vikram Gokhale short-listed for filling vacancies in Prasar Bharati Board
NEW DELHI: Bollywood star Kajol and former editor of RSS mouthpiece ‘Organiser’ Seshadri Chari are among a fresh panel of names drawn up by Information and Broadcasting Ministry for the two vacant positions of part-time members of the Prasar Bharati Board.
Some of the others names on the list include actors Minhaz Merchant and actor Vikram Gokhale.
Around eight names have been prepared and forwarded to the selection committee headed by vice president M Hamid Ansari. The committee also comprises Press Council of India chairman Justice (retd) C K Prasad and I&B secretary Sunil Arora.
Ministry sources said several of the names, including that of Kajol and Chari were also among those forwarded last time when four part-time members were chosen.
In its earlier meeting in October last year, the three-member committee had chosen former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s media advisor Ashok Tandon and noted Bhajan singer Anup Jalota, businessmen Sunil Alagh and Shashi Shekhar, who headed an online media company, Niti Digital, as members of the board of the public broadcaster.
As some members have completed their term, two vacancies have arisen and so the Ministry has now prepared a list for the Committee expected to meet towards the end of this month.
Under the Prasar Bharati Act, the pubcaster should have six-part time members on its Board, which is headed by its chairman.
I&B Ministry
IT Rules tweaks are clarificatory, not expansion of powers: MeitY
Govt signals flexibility as platforms push for clarity on user content rules
NEW DELHI: The Centre has sought to dial down concerns over its proposed amendments to the IT Rules, with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology secretary S Krishnan asserting that the changes are intended as clarifications rather than an expansion of regulatory powers.
Pushing back against criticism from platforms and civil society, S Krishnan said the amendments “do not in any way actually give us wider powers” and are meant to remove ambiguity in how existing provisions are applied. He added that the trigger came largely from within the ecosystem, with intermediaries themselves seeking clearer guidance on compliance, takedowns and record preservation.
At the heart of the debate is the growing friction between platforms and policymakers over responsibility for user-generated content. Intermediaries have argued that they should not be treated on par with publishers, particularly when content is created and uploaded by users. Krishnan acknowledged this concern, noting that “a sharper distinction” between user content and publisher content is needed and is currently under examination.
The issue becomes more complex in enforcement scenarios. While registered publishers can be directly asked to modify or remove content, intermediaries often lack control over the original creator. “In such cases, the intermediary cannot direct those changes,” Krishnan explained, underlining the need for procedural nuance.
Another key proposal under discussion is to bring user-generated news and current affairs content within a more unified regulatory ambit, potentially under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The move follows suggestions that a single authority should handle such content, regardless of whether it originates from a publisher or an individual user.
Even as the government frames the amendments as a tidy-up exercise, fault lines remain. Industry players have flagged concerns over compliance burdens, especially for smaller businesses, and questioned whether advisories could effectively become binding without explicit legislative backing. Krishnan said the government is mindful of these risks and is exploring ways to ease obligations, including possible relaxations under certain provisions.
The ministry is also considering consolidating multiple advisories and guidelines into a more structured framework, a step widely seen as addressing long-standing confusion over what platforms are expected to follow.
On takedowns, the government has reiterated that due process will remain unchanged. Krishnan stressed that actions will continue to be governed by established procedures, with reasons recorded and review mechanisms in place. He also pointed to the surge in deepfakes and synthetic media as a factor behind rising content disputes, calling it a “scale challenge” for regulators.
Interestingly, Krishnan also framed social media platforms as commercial entities rather than pure vehicles of free expression, hinting at a broader shift in regulatory thinking as platform economics come into sharper focus.
With stakeholders seeking more time and, in some cases, a rollback of the proposals, the government has kept the consultation process open-ended. Krishnan said further revisions remain on the table, signalling a willingness to adapt the draft based on feedback.
For now, the message from MeitY is clear: the rules may not be tightening in intent, but the effort to define them more clearly is well underway.
