I&B Ministry
Mass Comm courses in regional languages significant: Naidu
NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has stressed the vast need of skilled personnel in the media and entertainment sector in the country as the sector was expanding rapidly.
The Minister referred to the prominent role being played by the Government’s Skill India Initiative for upgrading skills under multiple disciplines. He added that the vision of this Government was to bring Transformational changes in all sectors.
Speaking about the changing paradigm in communication, the Minister said Social Media has broken the boundaries of time and space in communication. It is a pre-requisite for budding journalists to be social media savvy and to have a watchful eye about the public perception on issues of local and international importance.
He advised students aspiring to become journalists in future to ensure that news and views are not mixed and be objective. Every budding young journalist should have an open mind to acquire maximum knowledge to present the perspective in an objective manner. He urged students to keep abreast with the latest developments, new technology and new modes of communication and should inculcate a habit of reading to remain relevant and effective.
He also called upon the Indian Institute of Mass Communications to strive for journalism courses in all Indian languages to cater to the communication needs of the citizens all across the country.
The Minister was speaking after inaugurating the First PG Diploma course in Urdu Journalism, the 67th Diploma course in Development Journalism, and the launch of the IIMC Journal “Communicator” at Shastri Bhawan.
Emphasizing on the training methodology, Naidu said it was important in the current scenario to include Case studies and practical exposure as a part of curriculum for learning, practising and applying new concepts. He also stressed the need for imparting an outlook that is rooted in strong ethical values among budding journalists and communicators.
Naidu said Urdu journalism was an important and integral part of media and communication landscape of our country which had played an important role in the Freedom Struggle.
Inaugurating the 67th Development Journalism course, the Minister said India is today regaining the lost glory of being the Knowledge hub of the world. The Development Journalism course provided a great opportunity for understanding and appreciating each other’s culture, and developing bonds of friendship.
He added that journalist scholars from various Developing Countries were unofficial Ambassadors of India who shall provide a link of brotherhood among different cultures through their writings. The 67th batch of Development Journalism course at IIMC has 23 scholars (12 females and 11 males) from 19 different countries.
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.
