News Broadcasting
Cabinet Reshuffle: Javadekar resigns, Anurag Thakur takes charges as I&B minister
New Delhi: Lok Sabha MP from Himachal Pradesh was appointed as the new minister of information and broadcasting (I&B), in one of the biggest cabinet reshuffles during the second term of the Modi government.
Thakur, who took oath of office and secrecy as one of the new Cabinet ministers on Wednesday evening, along with 15 new cabinet ministers, succeeds Prakash Javadekar who stepped down ahead of the reshuffle. Javadekar is among the 12 senior ministers, who submitted their resignations. The list of outgoing ministers also includes minister of electronics and Information Technology (Meity), Ravi Shankar Prasad.
The Hamirpur MP has also been given charge of the sports and youth affairs ministry, which was earlier under Kiren Rijiju. “I am thankful to prime minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah for giving me this chance. All possible efforts will be made to fulfil the duties,” he said.
Thakur has been minister of state for finance and corporate affairs under finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman since 2019, when prime minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government began its second term. Since then, he has been a close aide of the finance minister and has witnessed the economic turmoil caused by the pandemic. The 46 years old MP has also been the president of the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI), and held the post from 2016 to 2017.
As I&B Minister, he will have to steer the proposed Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2021 which is currently in the stage of public consultation. Centre had sought public comments on the draft bill starting 18 June. However, the draft bill has invited criticism from the film fraternity, which has expressed concerns over its execution.
Thakur’s appointment as the sports and youth affairs Minister comes close on the heels of Tokyo Olympics 2020, which begins on 23 July. Apart from taking care of athletes’ preparation on a ministerial level, he will also have to ensure that they conform to the strict stipulations regarding vaccination and other arrangements.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
