I&B Ministry
Legislation soon to accord ‘Institute of Eminence’ status to FTII, SRFTI: MIB
NEW DELHI: A separate legislation may be brought in Parliament to give both, the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune and the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata, status of ‘Institute of National Importance,’ Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar has said.
His predecessors have been promising status of ‘Institution of National Importance’ not only to FTII and SRTFI but also the Indian Institute of Mass Communications for more than a decade, but this is the first time there has been talks of a separate legislation for the purpose.
During his first visit to Pune, the Minister made it clear to its director and staff that he would ensure that funds availability would not be a problem for this premier institute. Javadekar held a discussion with director DJ Narain and the staff members, faculty and students.
Addressing a press conference, he said FTII would be revamped with state of the art technology and there would not be any paucity of budget for the same. He said the Centre would give highest priority to accord FTII and the SRFTI.
Interacting with students and faculty members of the FTII, he said the government would hold discussions with all stakeholders before finalising the draft of new Cinematograph Act.
Narain informed media that according such a status would result in the recognition to FTII degrees in the field of academics and trained professionals from the institute would be able to pursue higher education abroad.
Meanwhile, the Minister said while harnessing the potential of thousands of exotic locations all over the country for film shootings, the stumbling block is of payment gateway. For this, he added, that a single window system for clearance should also include a payment gateway.
I&B Ministry
Government sets up AI governance group to steer policy
AIGEG to align ministries, assess jobs impact, guide AI deployment.
MUMBAI: If artificial intelligence is the engine, the government is now building the dashboard and making sure everyone reads from the same screen. The Centre has constituted a new inter-ministerial body to coordinate India’s approach to AI, formalising a key recommendation from its governance framework and the Economic Survey. The AI Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG), set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, will act as the central platform to align AI-related policy across ministries, regulators and departments, an attempt to bring coherence to what has so far been a fragmented and fast-evolving landscape.
The group will be chaired by union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, with minister of state Jitin Prasada as vice chairperson. Its composition reflects both technological and economic priorities, bringing together the principal scientific adviser, the chief economic adviser, and the CEO of NITI Aayog, alongside key secretaries from telecommunications, economic affairs and science and technology. A representative from the National Security Council Secretariat is also part of the group, while the MeitY secretary will serve as member convenor.
At its core, AIGEG is designed to do two things: coordinate and anticipate. On the policy front, it will review existing regulatory mechanisms, issue guidance across sectors and ensure companies remain compliant with evolving legal frameworks. Beyond that, it will oversee national initiatives on AI governance, with a focus on enabling responsible innovation rather than merely regulating it.
The economic dimension is equally central. The group has been tasked with assessing how AI-driven automation could reshape jobs identifying which roles are most at risk, where those impacts may be geographically concentrated, and whether technology will augment or replace human labour. Based on these assessments, it will develop mitigation strategies and transition plans, signalling a more proactive stance on workforce disruption.
In parallel, AIGEG will work with industry stakeholders to chart a long-term roadmap for AI adoption, categorising use cases into “deploy”, “pilot” or “defer” buckets depending on readiness factors such as data availability, skill levels and regulatory clarity. The aim is to move from broad ambition to structured execution deciding not just what can be built, but what should be built now.
The group will function as the apex layer in India’s AI governance architecture, supported by a Technology and Policy Expert Committee that will track global developments, emerging risks and regulatory priorities. Together, the two bodies are expected to shape both the pace and direction of AI adoption in the country.
In a landscape where technology often outruns policy, the creation of AIGEG signals an attempt to close that gap ensuring that India’s AI journey is not just rapid, but also coordinated, accountable and economically grounded.
