I&B Ministry
Leveraging culture for greater understanding among BRICS nations
NEW DELHI: The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) should leverage the culture, filming techniques and the market of the member nations to increase greater understanding and foster people-to-people exchange.
This was the common view of BRICS delegates at a press meet just before the BRICS Film Festival in the capital.
Those present at the press conference included Mr Hugo Lorenzetti Neto (Brazil), Mr Kirill Razligov (Russia), Mr C. Senthil Rajan (India who is Director of Film Festivals), Mr Zhou Jiandong and Ms Monica Newton (South Africa).
The discussions focused on the similarities and differences in the cinema of the five BRICS countries, while focussing on the exchange of cultural diversities and techniques used by the cinema of these nations.
‘Building Responsive, Inclusive & Collective Solutions’ (BRICS) is the aim of the merger of the five coutries, aimed at enhancing bilateral and friendly relations. In the BRICS Summit 2015 held in Russia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the BRICS Film Festival, an addition to the yearly summits that would connect masses through the exchange of culture and art.
”Films made in a country connect to at least one of the other nations. The movies for the festival have been specially selected to showcase culture, art and history of the countries they are made in.” said Neto.
Razligov said: “Discussions made at the BRICS Film Festival will help us better understand the complexities and art of film making by the member nations. We all need to work in cooperation and create films together to bring people closer.”
Speaking on the occasion, Rajan said, “The BRICS Film Festival will begin a new journey to witness the growth of the rich cinema of the five countries. This step will be leveraged as a bridge to take cinema making to a new level through the exchange of techniques, art and ideas. Furthermore, the festival will serve as an opportunity for the people to interact and learn the culture of the participating nations.”
Highlighting the role of cinema in creating friendly relations, Jiandong said, “Indian films from the period of 1970 to 1980 were quite famous in China and today we have movies like Xuan Zang, where the actors of China and India have worked together to create a masterpiece. Cinema plays a key role in creating harmonious relations as the films speak universal language to the world.”
“The BRICS Film Festival is the first of its kind, which will bring the masses together. This festival is an amazing canvas to exchange the art work of the five countries that has never been done before. For a young country like South Africa, the sphere of innovation and development in cinema is large, where we are learning from the member nations.” added Ms. Newton.
The cultural diversity of the nations will also be portrayed through the Craft Fair organized at the festival, where the member countries will set up their stalls with souvenirs and products for sale. At this five-day bioscope of culture, art, films and food, one can explore exclusive cuisines from all the BRICS nations at the Food Court, arranged in the festival venue.
Starting tomorrow, the film festival will have special meets with the cast and crew from the five nations, movie screenings and Film Panchayats, panel discussions with renowned personalities on the topics ranging from Cinema and Nation building, Women in BRICS Cinema, BRICS coproduction , Opportunities and Challenges, etc.
Twenty films – four each from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – are to feature in the first government level BRICS Film Festival toi be held in here early next month.
Malayalam movie Veeram will be the opening film for the festival being held from 2 to 6 September at Siri Fort Auditorium.
They jury is headed by eminent Kannada filmmaker T S Nagabharana. Other members are producer and curator Francis Vogner do Reis from Brazil; Kirill Razlogov of Russia who has served as a special adviser for 11 years on film history and international affairs to the President of Goskino of the USS; Hou Keming of China who is a professor of the direction department of Beijing Film Academy and chairperson of the China Children’s Film Association and the president of China International Children’s Film Festival; and Ms. Xoliswa Sithole of South Africa who is founder and director, of Nayanaya Pictures and the founding member of Filmmakers against Racism.
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.
