News Broadcasting
BBC to tie-up with Prasar Bharati for AIDS awareness programmes
The BBC World Service Trust, a charitable arm of the BBC’s World Service, is setting up a production partnership with Prasar Bharati to campaign for HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention’s
The project is being undertaken on behalf of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and will concentrate on the low-prevalence northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana. The Beeb is now seeking senior creative personnel from India to head the year-long project, likely to be started by December this year.
The project will involve TV programmes targeted at youth, the most vital audience for an HIV / AIDS campaign, according to the BBC. One of the programmes envisaged an ‘exciting’ weekly half hour show aimed at 15-30 year olds watching Doordarshan from Delhi, Lucknow and Jaipur. There are also plans for broadcasting thrice-weekly short-form drama series at peak viewing times, from Doordarshan Kendras in Delhi, Lucknow and Jaipur. ‘The series will engage the audience in a stimulating storyline that opens up the issues of relationship responsibility, sexual health and AIDS prevention’, sources say. Plans are also afoot for launching an innovative phone-in show for young people on FM, with repeats on the main channel. This is scheduled to be the centerpiece of an AIR campaign on HIV/AIDS prevention from Lucknow.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
