I&B Ministry
Govt urges TV and radio channels to publicise ‘Swachhta’ campaign
NEW DELHI: Private television and FM channels and radio stations have been requested to give adequate attention to the ‘Swachhta ki Seva’ campaign launched by the prime minister Narendra Modi in his ‘Mann ki Baat’ broadcast on 27 August 2017.
“Keeping in view the public interest and importance of the matter,” the ministry of information and broadcasting has requested the media to “build the idea of the campaign in their programming so as to bring the message home to the maximum viewers.”
In his broadcast on All-India Radio, Modi had called upon the nation to undertake the SHS campaign from 15 September 2017, culminating on Gandhi Jayanti, that is, on 2 October 2017.
The aim of the campaign, he said, was to intensify the focus on cleanliness and create an environment of cleanliness across the country in the spirit of a ‘Jan Andolan’ (public movement).
The ministry, in its request, said: “(The) media has a strong social and cultural impact on (the) society because of its inherent ability to reach out (to) a large number of people in the shortest possible time. (The) media, therefore, can play an important role in building public opinion and awareness in favour of the campaign.”
The request was sent to seven different organisations of TV, FM and community radio channels. These are: News Broadcasters Association (NBA), the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (lBF), Association of Regional Television Broadcasters of India, Association of Radio Operators for India (AROI), Community Radio Association (CRA), Federation of Community Radio Stations (FCRS), and Community Radio Forum of India.
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.
