I&B Ministry
Julka asks M&E Industry to contribute to ‘Swacch Bharat Mission’
NEW DELHI: The Government has asked the media and entertainment industry to contribute towards creating awareness and showing effective action in the ‘Swacch Bharat Mission’.
Information and Broadcasting Ministry Secretary Bimal Julka said that the Media and Entertainment industry could help in reaching out to people with the right content and effective messaging which would ensure community participation in the ‘Swacch Bharat Mission’.
He added “the M&E Industry has an important role to play in order to make Swacch Bharat a mass movement. It is essential for all stakeholders to be partners in the drive towards this initiative.”
Julka held a meeting with the stakeholders of the M&E Industry on the Mission here. The stakeholders of the Industry included representatives of News Broadcasters Association (NBA), Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), representatives of FM radio, community radio, Digital Media, Entertainment channels and National Broadcasters including the Public Broadcaster Prasar Bharati.
Quoting the example of Digitisation of Cable TV, where all stakeholders have themselves taken initiatives towards creating awareness, Julka suggested that the Entertainment Industry should bring leading stars together to communicate messages through TV on Swacch Bharat to households.
For the FM radio industry and community radio stations, Julka appealed to create region specific and event specific programmes on the Swacch Bharat Mission.
He has also appealed to the Digital Media Industry to play Swacch Bharat messages across various theatre screens in the country, to make people aware about the initiative.
Representatives of the industry extended their support to carry forward the initiative and shared their views and suggestions in order to create an effective multi-media campaign which would translate ‘information into action’ towards fulfilling the Prime Minister’s vision on “Swacchchhata”.
I&B Ministry
IT Rules tweaks are clarificatory, not expansion of powers: MeitY
Govt signals flexibility as platforms push for clarity on user content rules
NEW DELHI: The Centre has sought to dial down concerns over its proposed amendments to the IT Rules, with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology secretary S Krishnan asserting that the changes are intended as clarifications rather than an expansion of regulatory powers.
Pushing back against criticism from platforms and civil society, S Krishnan said the amendments “do not in any way actually give us wider powers” and are meant to remove ambiguity in how existing provisions are applied. He added that the trigger came largely from within the ecosystem, with intermediaries themselves seeking clearer guidance on compliance, takedowns and record preservation.
At the heart of the debate is the growing friction between platforms and policymakers over responsibility for user-generated content. Intermediaries have argued that they should not be treated on par with publishers, particularly when content is created and uploaded by users. Krishnan acknowledged this concern, noting that “a sharper distinction” between user content and publisher content is needed and is currently under examination.
The issue becomes more complex in enforcement scenarios. While registered publishers can be directly asked to modify or remove content, intermediaries often lack control over the original creator. “In such cases, the intermediary cannot direct those changes,” Krishnan explained, underlining the need for procedural nuance.
Another key proposal under discussion is to bring user-generated news and current affairs content within a more unified regulatory ambit, potentially under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The move follows suggestions that a single authority should handle such content, regardless of whether it originates from a publisher or an individual user.
Even as the government frames the amendments as a tidy-up exercise, fault lines remain. Industry players have flagged concerns over compliance burdens, especially for smaller businesses, and questioned whether advisories could effectively become binding without explicit legislative backing. Krishnan said the government is mindful of these risks and is exploring ways to ease obligations, including possible relaxations under certain provisions.
The ministry is also considering consolidating multiple advisories and guidelines into a more structured framework, a step widely seen as addressing long-standing confusion over what platforms are expected to follow.
On takedowns, the government has reiterated that due process will remain unchanged. Krishnan stressed that actions will continue to be governed by established procedures, with reasons recorded and review mechanisms in place. He also pointed to the surge in deepfakes and synthetic media as a factor behind rising content disputes, calling it a “scale challenge” for regulators.
Interestingly, Krishnan also framed social media platforms as commercial entities rather than pure vehicles of free expression, hinting at a broader shift in regulatory thinking as platform economics come into sharper focus.
With stakeholders seeking more time and, in some cases, a rollback of the proposals, the government has kept the consultation process open-ended. Krishnan said further revisions remain on the table, signalling a willingness to adapt the draft based on feedback.
For now, the message from MeitY is clear: the rules may not be tightening in intent, but the effort to define them more clearly is well underway.
