I&B Ministry
Govt. plans to simplify clearances for community radio ventures
NEW DELHI: Information and broadcasting minister Jaipal Reddy today told a parliamentary panel that the government is considering putting a time limit for clearance of community radio projects in the country.
Briefing the Consultative Committee attached to the ministry, Reddy said that his ministry proposes to ensure that there is a time-bound clearance by various government agencies and ministries for community radio services.
Pointing out that such socially relevant projects get mired in clearances, thus delaying them, Reddy said there’s only one such service operational in the country at the moment at Anna University in Chennai. The minister opined that there is scope for 4,000 community radio stations in the country.
The parliamentary panel was informed that, as on date, a total of 60 applications had been received. Out of these, 38 eligible applications had been sent to other ministries concerned for clearance while letters of intent had been signed in 26 cases and licence agreements signed in 10 cases.
Reddy’s fellow parliamentarians had expressed concerns about the funding ability of the community/organisations in far-flung and remote rural areas, since such services are run on a no-profit basis.
Consultative panel members also expressed concern over the restriction of advertisement time at the rate of four minutes per hour leave little chance of generating adequate funds to run such radio stations. Some members felt that even the original start up cost of Rs 400,000- Rs 1 million may not be possible for rural communities and the government should come out with initiatives to support such ventures.
Coming up with a pragmatic solution to the funding problems, one of the members suggested that each MP may support at least two community radio stations in his/her constituency from the fund made available by the government for spending in their respective constituencies for developmental work.
However, panel members suggested that adequate safeguards may be created to check any misuse of community radio stations.
The members who attended today’s meeting included, Dinsha Patel, film star Dharmendra, Satyanarayan Jatiya, Hannan Mollah, S Sudhakar Reddy, Usha Verma, Bhartruhari Mahtab, P K Maheshwari, Vijay J Darda, E M Sudarsana Natchiappan, Ajay Maroo, film star Shatrughan Sinha, S C Chandran and Sanjay Raut.
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:Â 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.
