I&B Ministry
FM radio: PMO forwards grievances to I&B
NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has forwarded the grievances of private FM radio operators in India to the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry for “appropriate action.”
Pointing out that it is a “positive step,” the Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI) convenor and CEO of BAG Films radio division Rajiv Misra said, “We have received a communication from the PMO, which has not struck down our demands.”
Misra added that the PMO has forwarded the demands of the nascent FM radio industry to the nodal ministry for suitable and appropriate action on the matter.
The demands of AROI included permission for news and current affairs programming on private FM radio stations and rationalization of music royalty fee, which has been termed by the radio industry as “too high” and “arbitrary.”
A FM radio operator termed the development as a “step forward”, adding that the I&B ministry is likely to be more receptive to the idea of news on private radio stations once it has heard from the PMO.
The government and the Union Cabinet have been divided over the issue of news on private radio stations with one section saying that if this is allowed, it could compromise national security as monitoring of all FM radio stations all the time could be a Herculean task.
However, a government panel under the chairmanship of Ficci secretary-general Amit Mitra had recommended giving the green signal to news on private FM radio stations as it would bring about variety in programming and is a standard global norm.
Meanwhile, AROI is continuing to negotiate with music industry bodies to rationalize music royalty fee.
The I&B ministry, however, has washed its hands off the music fee issue, saying the matter relates to IPR, which is in the domain of the human resources development (HRD) ministry.
The HRD ministry, these days pre-occupied with reservation-for-backward-classes-in-educational-institutions issue, hasn’t reacted too warmly to AROI’s presentation on high music royalty.
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.
