I&B Ministry
Auction of 2nd batch of 266 FM Phase III channels around mid-Sept
NEW DELHI: The e-auction of the second batch of FM Radio Phase-III channels comprising 266 channels in 92 cities is to be held around mid-September this year. The channels include 227 channels in 69 fresh cities and 39 channels in 23 existing cities which had remained unsold as there were no bids.
As in the first stage, the e-auctions will be conducted by C1 India Private Ltd and the process commenced on 20 June with the notice inviting applications (NIA).
A Pre Bid conference will be held on 11 July 2016 at 2:30 PM and the last date for seeking clarifications on NIA is 14 July 2016 by 12:00 noon. Clarifications to NIA will be given on 21 July 2016.
The last date for submission of Applications is 1 August 2016 by 5:00 pm. This will be followed on 16 August with the publication of ownership details of applicants. The Bidder Ownership Compliance Certificate will be issued on 22 August 2016.
The Pre-Qualification of Bidders will be done by 1 September 2016 or completion of requisite formalities whichever is later, followed four to five days later by a Mock Auction.
The main auction will start four days after the mock auction.
The first payment of 25 per cent of the Successful Bid Amount will be made within five calendar days, and the remaining within 15 calendar days of the close of the Auction and notification of successful bidders by the government.
The e-auction of the first batch of private FM radio phase-III comprising 135 channels in 69 Phase-II existing cities commenced on 27 July 2015 and was completed on 9 September 2015 after 125 rounds of bidding. Out of these, no bid was received in 13 cities having 26 channels, and partial bids were received in 9 cities with 12 channels remaining unsold, which Information and Broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley justified on the ground of “the demand – supply based market economics and bidder’s strategy”.
However, he told Parliament on 4 December 2015 that the Ministry had received the full payment of Rs.1,055.9 crore notified on 16 September 2015 by 1 October that year
Against the cumulative reserve price of Rs.550.18 crore for 135 channels, the government received aggregate provisional commitment of Rs.1156.9 crore for 97 channels in 56 cities. Out of 97 channels, 53 channels in 35 cities were sold at a premium over reserve price whereas 44 channels in 21 cities were sold at reserve price.
The Ministry had decided to conduct e-auction of FM Radio Channels in batches under the extant FM Phase-III Policy.
For the second batch, the Simultaneous Multiple Round Ascending e-auction process will be carried out for allotting the FM channels, conducted over the Internet. Bidders will be able to access the Electronic Auction System to be used for participation in the Auctions using web browsing software: Internet Explorer 11.x, or Mozilla 34.x. The EAS is a designated computer resource for the receiving of electronic records under the provisions of Section 13(2) of the Information Technology Act 2000, as amended from time to time.
While issuing the notice for inviting applications, the government said it reserved the right to summarily disqualify any pre-qualified Bidder, at any stage of the Auction or after the Auction is completed on grounds of noncompliance with eligibility conditions, misrepresentation, non-compliance with the Auction Rules, non-compliance with any other pre-condition prescribed for participating in the Auction or for getting the FM channel, or any matter that may, in the opinion of the government, be contrary to general public interest.
Interested parties were asked to get a copy of this document and any subsequent amendments to the NIA from the MIB website, www.mib.nic.in.
Before operating the FM service a separate specific license i.e. Wireless Operating License shall be obtained by the company from the WPC (Wireless Planning & Co-ordination) Wing of Ministry of Communications & IT, permitting utilization of appropriate frequencies/band for the establishment and operation of concerned wireless component of FM radio Service under usual terms and conditions of such license. The Grant of such License shall be governed by the rules, procedures and guidelines and shall be subject to compliance with all requirements of the WPC wing.
Winning Bidders of FM channel(s) in each city shall be determined in the first stage, a Channel Allocation Stage, which will allocate FM channel(s) simultaneously for all the cities. A second stage, a Frequency Allocation Stage, will identify specific frequencies for the Winning Bidders. More specifically, the two stages shall operate as follows:
The Channel Allocation Stage will allocate number (count) of FM Channels in each of the Cities to the winning bidders. In this stage, Bidders in each City will bid for number of Channels only without linkage to any specific Radio frequency. This stage will consist of a number of Clock Rounds. These rounds will stop once the Auction Activity Requirement is 100 percent and there is no bid submitted by any of the bidders for all Cities in all the 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: 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.
