I&B Ministry
Int’l TV Fest: A-Pac Broadcasting Union’s two India teams to participate
NEW DELHI: The ‘Aamad’ group and ‘Sadhya’ group from India will compete in the grand finale of the first edition of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) International Television Dance Festival (AIDF) in the city of the ‘Char Minar’ Hyderabad on 15 January 2017.
Public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati is hosting the first edition of this mega event at Shilpakala Vedika in the hi-tech part of Hyderabad.
AIDF will showcase traditional and contemporary dance performances by artistes of more than ten counties across the Asia- pacific region. The Dance Festival is conceptualised to bring the cultural diversities from across the world into limelight, by breaking cultural barriers. It will unveil the sacred occasions when people dance, and the joys that varied communities across the Asia Pacific region feel as they dance.
Information and broadcasting minister M Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the AIDF festival. Telengana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao will be the Guest of Honour. Telengana Culture and Tourism Minister Azmeera Chandulal and Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash will also be present in the presence of other top officials of the I&B Ministry, Prasar Bharati and Telangana Government.
Countries that have so far confirmed participation are Maldives, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, The Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Fiji and Indonesia.
Two declared finalists from each country; one in ‘contemporary’ dance form and the other in ‘traditional’ dance form, will participate in the grand finale. All participating dance groups are between the age group of 18 to 25 years.
Prasar Bharati had started the selection process in June last year to select the teams that will represent India in the grand finale. In order to select the final entries, artistes were invited and they were asked to submit DVDs of their work in traditional or contemporary dance, for shortlisting purpose. These submissions were made online and offline as well.
A total of 453 entries were received, out of which 389 were made on-line and 64 were by post. Eventually, 210 videos were selected by the first Screening Committee.
After the final screening, 29 entries were chosen from the two categories.
The Festival is planned to be telecast live on DD India, DD Bharati, DD Urdu, DD Saptagiri and DD Yadagiri from 5:30 p:m onwards on 15 January 2017.
The pubcaster has created a dedicated website aidf.prasarbharati.org and is available on social media at facebook.com/DanceFestABU and twitter.com/DanceFestABU.
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: 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.
