I&B Ministry
I&B ministry clears FII investment in TV news channels
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: The information and broadcasting ministry has cleared the decks for foreign financial institutions investing in television news channel ventures by issuing some modifications to the existing guidelines.
The ministry has said that FIIs can invest in news channels and companies managing them, but the total foreign investment component will remain capped at 26 per cent. In effect, this means that FII investment has to be part of the total foreign investment allowed, including foreign direct investment.
An official in the I&B ministry said that it was a matter of interpretation, but since some clarifications were sought by media companies, the ministry has decided to remove the ambiguities.
The official also pointed out that it was only after this ambiguity was removed that NDTV got a clearance recently from the ministry for uplinking its proposed business channel from India.
On 10 December, 2004 NDTV had issued a notice to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) stating that it has asked FIIs, NRIs and all persons resident outside India not to deal in its shares. Pointing out that the ministry of information and broadcasting had amended guidelines and foreign investment norms for news and current affairs news channels, the NDTV notice had said that Clause B prescribes that foreign direct investment (FDI) shall not exceed 26 per cent of the paid-up equity capital of the applicant company.
The FIIs issue, according to an earlier interpretation of the ministry, had sent some listed media companies like Television Eighteen Ltd, TV Today Network and NDTV LTD, scurrying to the government seeking clarifications.
It had been pointed out by the media companies that keeping a tab on FII investments in listed companies on a daily basis, where buying and selling happens on the markets, would be difficult and that the Companies Act allows FII investment in various sectors, subject to sectoral foreign investment caps.
Clause D of the guidelines states that while calculating the 26 per cent FDI in the equity of the applicant company, the foreign holding component, if any in the equity of the Indian shareholder companies of the applicant company, will be duly reckoned on a pro-rata basis, so as to arrive at the total foreign holding in the applicant company. Clause F states that it is obligatory on the part of the company to take prior permission from the MIB before effecting any alteration in the foreign shareholding patterns and the shareholding of the largest Indian shareholders.
I&B Ministry
MeitY & Reliance Foundation launch e-SafeHER cyber training for Women
Programme aims to train one million rural women in cyber safety over three years
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has partnered with Reliance Foundation and C-DAC Hyderabad to launch ‘e-SafeHER’, a nationwide cyber security awareness programme aimed at empowering one million women across rural India.
Anchored under the Information Security Education and Awareness Programme, the initiative will focus on building digital confidence and safe online practices among women who are increasingly using digital platforms for financial transactions, livelihoods and essential services.
The programme will be rolled out through a community-led model, with training delivered via women’s self-help groups and grassroots networks. C-DAC Hyderabad will develop and localise training content, while Reliance Foundation will drive on-ground implementation using its rural outreach platforms.
Speaking on the launch, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology secretary S Krishnan said, “e-SafeHER is an exciting opportunity to bring together knowledge and collaboration to build a cyber secure Bharat. Through this initiative, women from even the remotest regions will be empowered to participate safely in the digital ecosystem.”
Echoing this, Reliance Foundation director Isha Ambani said the initiative aims to equip women with the skills needed to navigate the online world safely. She added that the goal is to enable one million “Cyber Sakhis” who can confidently adopt digital tools to improve their lives and livelihoods.
The programme will begin with pilot training in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, before scaling nationwide through a phased approach. It will use multilingual content, audio-visual modules and blended learning formats to ensure accessibility and engagement.
Designed for long-term impact, e-SafeHER will be integrated into existing digital literacy and women’s empowerment programmes, avoiding the need for parallel infrastructure. The initiative also aims to drive measurable behavioural change, from improved awareness of cyber risks to safer digital transactions.
By combining policy, technology and grassroots reach, the programme looks to bridge not just the digital divide, but the digital safety gap, ensuring that inclusion goes hand in hand with security.
