I&B Ministry
I&B ministry drafts policy guidelines to improve govt’s social media outreach
MUMBAI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has come up with policy guidelines for empanelment of social media platforms with Bureau of Outreach and Communication (BOC). The new policy guideline is aimed at improving the social media outreach along with putting in place a policy framework which enables ministries and BOC to engage with social media platforms on the basis of various criteria, terms and conditions and processes stipulated in the guidelines.
“A number of ministries and departments of government of India have a substantial presence as well as organic reach across various social media platforms which they utilise to connect to the members of the public. However, the organic reach is limited to only such people who have connected with the social media handle of the concerned ministry/department. At times, the need is felt to reach or connect to people who are not connected/linked with social media handle of the concerned ministry/department,” MIB stated.
“It is important for the ministry to determine modalities for engaging social media platforms for assured reach. Hence there is a definite need for policy guidelines for engagement of social media platforms so that assured reach may be attained on payment basis to increase visibility of socially relevant messages,” it added.
The new policy guidelines will remain valid for a period of five years.
Media planning and execution of campaigns:
BOC will determine which social media platform(s) is/are relevant in light of planned outreach activity of the client ministry/department based on target audience, theme and content of proposed activity, budget and duration of the campaign.
In doing so, preference may be given to the social media platforms which are based in India without affecting the desired outcome from the campaign activities.
BOC will prepare a media plan within the indicated budget wherein the suggested platforms and the expected deliverables would be indicated to the ministries/ departments along with the tentative cost. However, since the models are based on dynamic pricing/auction/bidding, the actual delivery (as against expected deliverables) and the actual buying rates (as against indicated in the plan) would be found out on the final completion of the campaign.
The difference between the media plan conveyed to the client and the media plan actually executed will be communicated to the client ministry/department post execution with details. These terms shall be communicated by BOC to the client Ministry/Department before execution and their acceptance would be obtained before executing the media plan.
The client ministry/department shall indicate social media page/handle which will be designated for the campaign activity. The ministry/department will also be required to share the credentials (such as password) of the page/handle. Thereafter, the BOC and client ministry/department will nominate personnel to execute and monitor the campaign.
BOC will schedule the activity in such a manner that more deliverables may be generated at a lesser cost wherever timelines for undertaking the activity permits such scheduling.
The ministries/departments would have to convey approval for outreach activity to BOC at least five days in advance for the campaign to get started.
The ministries/departments would place 100 per cent funds in advance with BOC for campaign to be run. This is non-negotiable as default in payment by one ministry/department may adversely impact social media campaigns of other ministries/departments of the government. If the actual expenditure exceeds the planned expenditure, the balance shall be paid by the client ministry/department to the BOC.
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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.
