I&B Ministry
FTII to broad base its course content; introduce choice based credit systems
NEW DELHI: The Film and Television Institute of India is to have new syllabus for its courses aimed at streamlining academic course work.
The Governing Council of the FTII in its 129th meeting held in Mumbai today also gave approval to the Academic Council’s proposal to convert FTII into a holistic institute of cinema, television and allied arts, offering varied choice of subjects related to cinema and digital media.
The GC also approved the vision document of FTII, which proposes to switch from teacher centric approach to learning centric approach, giving students enough flexibility to steer his / her career.
The GC Meeting was chaired by Chairman Gajendra Chauhan and Information and Broadcasting Ministry Secretary Ajay Mittal attended the meeting as a special invitee.
The Academic Council of FTII, headed by noted filmmaker and television producer B P Singh, had drawn up an action plan for broad basing the course content. The proposal envisages setting up of nine different “schools” under the aegis of FTII, which will offer 22 courses, including short-term courses in music composing, animation and gaming, prosthetics and make up, costume design etc, besides the core subjects like direction, cinematography, acting, editing and sound design.
The new syllabus aims to finish the courses in time bound manner. The new syllabus has been drawn up through a collaborative process taking inputs from academics, experts and alumni of FTII.
The institute will also introduce Choice Based Credit System which would replace the present system of annual assessment. The new syllabus under semester system would be introduced from August 2016 batch, while existing batches will continue to be covered under the old system. The GC also approved appointment of a Proctor and new rules regarding hostel accommodation.
Film maker Rajkumar Hirani, actor Satish Shah, former Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, Director Pankaj Chandra, former Mumbai Univesity Vice Chancellor Dr Rajan Welukar, Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, DG K G Suresh, Films DivisonDG Mukesh Sharma, Ramoji Film & Television Institute, Hyderabad, Director Pavan Manvi, and noted film critic Bhavana Somayya were among those attended the meeting.
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.
