I&B Ministry
Kerala sweeps tourism publicity awards, American tourist bags writers’s award
NEW DELHI: Kerala swept the publicity awards in the National Tourism Awards for the year 2014-15 with as many as three awards apart frpm an award to a foreign tourist for writing about the state.
The Tourism Departments of Kerala and Gujarat jointly shared the Tourism award Most Innovative use of Information Technology – Social Media / Mobile App.
Ms Stephanie Pearson of the United States received the award for feature on Kerala, “The Green Heaven”.
The Tourism Department of Kerala received two other awards: for the coffee table volume on“Kerala & The Spice Routes”, and their Brochure “The Great Backwaters (Das Faszinierendste Gewässer der Erde)” in German Language in the category of Excellence in Publishing in Foreign Language other than English.
The Best Tourism Film award went to Department of Tourism of Daman & Diu for the film “Ilha De Calma”.
The Department of Tourism of Telangana for their coffee Table Book “Ancient Temples of Telangana” in the category of Best Tourism Promotion Publicity Material by States and Union Territories.
The awards were given away over the weekend by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan who said tourists are the Brand Ambassadors of their respective countries and Tourism is a mode of improving the image of their countries abroad.
All the persons involved in Tourism industry are the Flag Bearers of the country. The continuous strive for service excellence is all the more important as India’s Tourism Sector is on an upward growth track.
Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma and Secretary Vinod Zutshi also spoke on the occasion.
In all, 74 Awards were presented in various segments of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. Tourism Ministers of many States, Central and State Government Officials, Members from the Travel and Hospitality Industries, including leading Hoteliers, Travel Agents and Tour Operators and Travel Media attended the function.
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.
